Analytic and Comparative Study of Francisco Tárrega S Two Volumenes of Guitar Studies PDF

AN ANALYTICAL AND COMPARATIVE STUDY OF FRANCISCO TÁRREGA’S
TWO VOLUMES OF GUITAR STUDIES: VOLUME ONE−THIRTY
ELEMENTARY LEVEL STUDIES AND VOLUME TWO−TWENTY-FIVE
INTERMEDIATE AND ADVANCED LEVEL STUDIES
A DISSERTATION
SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS
FOR THE DEGREE
DOCTOR OF ARTS
BY
YI-FANG KO
DISSERTATION ADVISORS:
PAUL REILLY
KIRBY KORIATH
BALL STATE UNIVERSITY
MUNCIE, INDIANA
DECEMBER 2009
Copyright © 2009 Yi-Fang Ko
All rights reserved
Portions of the Francisco Tárrega’s Thirty Elementary Level Studies and Twenty Five Advanced
Intermediate Level Studies, Soneto edition, edited by Melchor Rodríguez, are used in accordance
with Section 107, Fair Use, of the Copyright Law, Title 17 of the United States Code.
Portions of the Emilio Pujol’s Guitar School–A Theoretical-Practical Method for the Guitar, Volume
One, Two, and Three, Editions Orphée, are used in accordance with Section 107, Fair Use, of
the Copyright Law, Title 17 of the United States Code.
ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to say thank you to Professor Paul Reilly who has been my guitar
professor during the length of my graduate program at Ball State University. I would not be
able to perform and teach at a higher level without his support and guidance. I also would
like to thank Dr. Kirby Koriath who always gives me good suggestions in my academic study.
I would like to express my gratitude to my doctoral committee members: Professor Philip
Tietze, Dr. Jody Nagel, and Dr. Shaheen Borna for the time spent on my comprehensive
exam and dissertation.
I really appreciate the support given by my family and friends. My family in Taiwan
gave me unlimited love so that I could have the courage to study aboard. My friends bring
laughter to my life and their encouragement makes me face the challenges without fear.
Because of you, I’m able to finish my doctoral degree. Thank you.
iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................................... iii
LIST OF FIGURES AND MUSICAL EXAMPLES.............................................................. vi
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................... 1
Statement of Purpose .................................................................................................................. 3
Significance of the Study............................................................................................................. 4
Method ......................................................................................................................................... 7
Review of the Literature ............................................................................................................ 9
Glossary .......................................................................................................................................12
CHAPTER TWO: BIOGRAPHICAL BACKGROUNDS OF FRANCISCO

TÁRREGA.........................................................................................................................................18
CHAPTER THREE: THE PRINCIPLES OF THE SCHOOL OF TÁRREGA .......25
Sitting Position ...........................................................................................................................25
Right-Hand Position ..................................................................................................................27
Left-Hand Position ....................................................................................................................28
Right-Hand Finger Movements ...............................................................................................30
Left-Hand Finger Movements .................................................................................................31
Sound Quality .............................................................................................................................34
Instructions for Study and Performance ................................................................................36
CHAPTER FOUR: TÁRREGA’S THIRTY ELEMENTARY LEVEL STUDIES

AND TWENTY-FIVE INTERMEDIATE AND ADVANCED LEVEL STUDIES 39
Scale Playing................................................................................................................................40
Arpeggio Playing ........................................................................................................................52
Blocked Chord Playing..............................................................................................................60
iv
Barré Technique .........................................................................................................................70
Slur Technique............................................................................................................................79
Pizzicato, Harmonics, and Tremolo Techniques ..................................................................88
CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION.......................................................98
BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................................ 102
APPENDIX.................................................................................................................................... 105
v
LIST OF FIGURES AND EXAMPLES
Figure 1: Open String Notation .......................................................................................................12
Figure 2: Fingerings of Both Hands ................................................................................................13
Figure 3: Free Stroke..........................................................................................................................13
Figure 4: Rest Stroke ..........................................................................................................................13
Figure 5: String Crossing Notation ..................................................................................................14
Figure 6: Tremolo Notation .............................................................................................................14
Figure 7: Harmonics Notation .........................................................................................................15
Figure 8: Barré Notation ...................................................................................................................15
Figure 9: Slur Notation ......................................................................................................................16
Figure 10: Pivot Finger Notation .....................................................................................................16
Figure 11: Guide Finger Notation ...................................................................................................17
Example 1: Substitution of the Left-Hand Fingers..........................................................................31
Example 2: Skip of the Left-Hand Fingers.....................................................................................32
Example 3: Glissando of the Left-Hand Fingers .............................................................................32
Example 4: Crossing Fingers of the Left Hand .............................................................................33
Example 5: Pujol Finger Exercise–Vertical Motion of the Intervals of the Thirds .................33
Example 6: “The Spider” Exercise for the Left-Hand Independence .......................................33
Example 7: Pujol Exercise–Hold Fingers .......................................................................................40
Example 8: Roch Exercise–Shifting ................................................................................................42
Example 9: Pujol Exercise–String Crossing ...................................................................................44
Example 10: Roch Exercise–String Crossing.................................................................................44
Example 11: Roch Exercise–Use Ring Finger to Avoid Awkward String Crossing ................44
vi
Example 12: Tárrega’s Elementary Studies, No. 11, mm.1-2 ......................................................45
Example 13: Tárrega’s Elementary Studies, No. 13, mm.4-6 ......................................................45
Example 14: Tárrega’s Elementary Studies, No. 1, mm. 1-2 .......................................................46
Example 15: Tárrega’s Elementary Studies, No. 7, mm.1-2 ........................................................46
Example 16: Tárrega’s Elementary Studies, No. 18, mm.3-11 ....................................................47
Example 17: Tárrega’s Elementary Studies, No. 20, mm. 1-13 ...................................................48
Example 18: Tárrega’s Advanced Studies, No. 1, mm.1-15.........................................................50
Example 19: Pujol Exercise–Hold More Notes at Once .............................................................52
Example 20: An E-Major Arpeggio on the Guitar........................................................................53
Example 21: Pujol Exercise–Rest Stroke on the highest Note E ...............................................54
Example 24a: Tárrega’s Elementary Studies, No. 8, mm.1-4 ......................................................56
Example 24b: Tárrega’s Elementary Studies, No. 8, mm.13-16..................................................56
Example 25: Tárrega’s Elementary Studies, No. 24, mm. 1-2 .....................................................57
Example 26: Tárrega’s Advanced Studies, No. 10, mm. 1-2 .......................................................58
Example 27a: Pujol Exercise for Two-Note Chords ....................................................................60
Example 27b: Pujol Exercise for Three-Note Chords .................................................................60
Example 28: A Difficult Chord Change .........................................................................................62
Example 29: Pujol–Right-Hand Position Before and After Playing A Chord ..........................63
Example 30: Roch Exercise–Notation and the Right-Hand Fingering of Blocked Chords ...65
Example 33: Tárrega’s Advanced Studies, No. 3, mm. 1-5..........................................................67
Example 34: Tárrega’s Advanced Studies, No. 6, mm. 1-5..........................................................68

vii
Example 36: Roch Exercise–Barré Technique with an Arpeggio ...............................................70
Example 37: Pujol Exercise–Barré Technique with the Right-Hand Alternation ....................71
Example 38: Left-Hand Thumb Position of a Barré Chord Suggested By Quine ...................72
Example 39: Tárrega’s Elementary Studies, No. 8, mm. 5 -16 ....................................................73
Example 41a: Tárrega’s Elementary Studies, No. 23, mm. 1-2 ...................................................74
Example 41b: Tárrega’s Elementary Studies, No. 23, mm. 13-14 ..............................................74
Example 43: Notations of a Half Barré ..........................................................................................76
Example 44: Tárrega’s Advanced Studies, No.10, mm. 1-8, with Modified Fingerings ..........77
Example 45: Pujol Exercise–Slurs: Ascending, Descending and Combination........................79
Example 46: Roch Slur Exercise ......................................................................................................81
Example 49: Tárrega’s Advanced Studies, No. 5, mm.30-37 ......................................................83
Example 50a: Tárrega’s Advanced Studies, No. 16, mm.1-2–Original ......................................85
Example 50b: Tárrega’s Advanced Studies, No. 16, mm.1-2–Without Slurs ............................85
Example 50c: Tárrega’s Advanced Studies, No. 16, mm.1-2–Re-fingered ................................86
Example 51: Tárrega’s Advanced Studies, No. 15, mm.1-6 – Right-Hand Fingerings Added
...............................................................................................................................................................87
Example 52: Natural Harmonics .....................................................................................................89
Example 53: Roch Exercise of Harmonics of Two and Three Notes .......................................90
Example 54: Right-Hand Position When Playing an Artificial Harmonic ................................91
Example 55: Artificial Harmonics with the Thumb Plucking Simultaneously..........................91
viii
Example 56: Pujol Exercise–Tremolo-Like ...................................................................................93
Example 57: Tárrega’s Advanced Studies, No. 18, mm.1-6.........................................................94
Example 58: Tárrega’s Advanced Studies, No. 21, mm.38-46 ....................................................95
Example 59: Tárrega’s Advanced Studies, No. 21, mm.139-144 ................................................96
ix
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
This analytical and comparative study focuses on the elementary- and advanced-level
studies for the guitar written by Francisco Tárrega (1852-1909). Through a study of these
works the reader will be helped to understand Tárrega’s purpose for each study and this will
significantly improve one’s ability in the fields of performance and teaching. Tárrega was a
remarkable guitar educator, performer, and composer. In the history of the Spanish guitar, it
was Tárrega that set the modern sitting position, right-hand technique, and left-hand
technique based on Antonio de Torres’ (1817-1892) guitar. According to Julian Bream (b.
1933), one of the great contemporary guitarists, it is by no means idle speculation to suggest
that, without the design of the Torres guitar, Tárrega’s vital contribution to guitar technique
would have been minimal.1 Based on the shape, size, and general construction of the guitar
as established by Torres, it was Tárrega that defined more details about playing the guitar
such as the rest stroke and the free stroke playing styles for the right hand. Tárrega’s pupils,
including Pascual Roch (1860-1921), Miguel Llobet (1878-1938), Maria Rita Brondi (1889-
1941), and Emilio Pujol (1886-1980), presented successful recitals and engaged in
musicological activities that helped to establish the guitar on a firm footing. Both Roch and
1José Romanillos, Antonio de Torres Guitar Maker–His Life and Work (Great Britain: Element Book Ltd., 1987),
vii.
Pujol wrote three volumes of methods and they became the foundation of the “School of
Tárrega.” It was Tárrega and Tárrega alone whose vital contributions to the guitar allowed
the guitar maestro Andrés Segovia’s (1893-1987) to project the guitar into the early twentieth
century.
Tárrega composed a significant number of works for the guitar, such as preludes,
studies, and some of his famous pieces include Recuerdos de la Alhambra and Capricho Arabe.2
Besides these compositions, he was one of the first to successfully transcribe considerable
repertoire from other composers, such as J. S. Bach’s Fugue from Violin Sonata No. 1, Ludwig
van Beethoven’s second movement (Adagio cantabile) from Piano Sonata No. 8 (Pathetique
Sonata), and the first movement (Adagio sostenuto) from Piano Sonata No. 14 (Moonlight
Sonata). Even Richard Wagner’s Prelude and March from Tannhäuser were successfully
transcribed and performed. Most of his transcriptions were very successful; in particular, the
piano pieces of Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909) were regarded by the composer himself as
sounding better on the guitar.3 Both his original compositions and transcriptions require
solid techniques and delicate musical interpretations. Among Tárrega’s masterpieces, the
focus of this study will be an examination of Tárrega’s thirty elementary-level studies and
twenty-five intermediate- and advanced-level studies. Among these fifty-five studies, sixteen
of the elementary studies were previously unpublished: 1to 6, 8, 10-11, 14, 16-19, 23 and 27.
Three of the advanced studies were previously unpublished: 4, 17, and 23 of the Soneto
edition, edited by Mechor Rodriguez García. Thus, this writer will be presenting critical
commentary for the first time on these previously unpublished nineteen studies.
2
Harvey Turnbull, The Guitar from the Renaissance to the Present Day (Westport, CT: The Bold Strummer LTD.,
1974), 107.
3 Ibid.
2
Statement of Purpose
The purpose of this study is to promote an understanding of the principles of the
“School of Tárrega” by analyzing Tárrega’s thirty elementary-level studies and twenty-five
intermediate- and advanced-level studies. These studies were used by Tárrega in giving
classes to his disciples with the aim of helping them to overcome the characteristic
difficulties of guitar playing. Throughout the analysis references will be made to the Roch
and the Pujol methods. It is important to note that Pujol and Roch wrote their methods
according to their learning experience from Tárrega; they did not discuss Tárrega’s fifty-five
elementary and advanced studies in particular.
Secondly, this writer will present a clear picture of the purpose of each study. Tárrega
composed the studies; however, he did not indicate the technical problems the studies were
designed to overcome. The writer first divided the studies based on the following related
technical considerations:
1.) Scale playing in elementary studies numbers 1, 10, 11, 13, 18, 20, 21, and 30 as
well as advanced studies numbers 1, 5, and 21.
2.) Arpeggio playing in elementary studies numbers 2, 4, 8, 16, 17,24, and 28 as well
as advanced studies numbers 4, 6, 7, 10, 12, 15, 16, 19, 23, 24, and 25.
3.) Blocked chord playing in elementary studies numbers: 3, 5, 14, 16, 17, 22, 23, 26,
27, and 29 as well as advanced studies numbers 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 19, 20, and 22.
4.) Slur technique in elementary studies numbers 19 and 30 as well as advanced
studies numbers 8, 15, 16, 23, 24, and 25.
3
5.) Barré technique in elementary studies numbers 8 and 26 as well as advanced
studies numbers 16 and 18.
6.) Pizzicato, harmonics, and tremolo techniques in advanced studies numbers 14, 18,
and 21.
Thirdly, this writer will thoroughly examine the logic of the fingering of these studies
as one of the practical ways to comprehend Tárrega’s musical world. Additionally, other
possible fingerings will be illustrated based on modern methods by modern guitarists such as
Christopher Berg, Charles Duncan, Richard Provost, Hector Quine, Aaron Shearer, Scott
Tennant, and Christopher Parkening.
And finally, where appropriate, this writer will highlight those aspects of Tárrega’s
technique that appear to be in conflict with contemporary guitar performance practice. In
those situations the reader is invited to carefully study the apparent conflicts and draw his or
her own conclusions as to how to proceed.
The ultimate goal of learning these elementary and advanced studies is not only to
develop playing skills but to foster mature musical playing and to thoroughly and clearly
understand Tárrega’s vital contributions to the guitar.
Significance of the Study
Tárrega’s elementary and advanced studies are important for the guitar student
because of Tárrega’s vital contributions to modern guitar technique as previously stated. The
elementary studies will be helpful in establishing basic playing techniques while the advanced
studies will polish one’s playing skills and enhance interpretations simultaneously. There is
4
no doubt that Tárrega’s studies are well worth the time needed to analyze and practice
toward the goal of developing musicianship. It is believed that this writer is one of the first
to thoroughly analyze Tárrega’s fifty-five guitar studies from a pedagogical point of view
regarding scale, arpeggio, blocked chord playing, and slur, barré, pizzicato, harmonics, and
tremolo techniques. Furthermore, as noted before, there are nineteen previously unpublished
studies in the Soneto edition which will be formally analyzed for the first time. Additionally,
this writer is also the first one to present Tárrega’s ideas on guitar technique in juxtaposition
to contemporary guitar performance practice.
The history of the guitar is closely associated with the development of this
instrument and this is the reason that the influence of Tárrega is monumental.4 The origins
of the guitar can be traced to the time when the Moors invaded Spain and brought the guitar
shape to the country around the eighth century. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the
vihuela was dominant. It usually has twelve strings which are paired (six-course), and it is
considered to be the precursor to the modern classical guitar. Co-existing through the
sixteenth century along with the vihuela was the four-course, Renaissance guitar. Compared
to the vihuela, the four-course guitar is smaller with fewer strings.5 During the Baroque
period, the five-course guitar was developed. On the five-course guitar, everything that was
possible on the four-course could be done with more power and resonance. The six single-
string guitar appeared in the early nineteenth century. As mentioned previously, the most
important thing to happen later in this period of time was that Tárrega established the
modern playing technique based on Torres’ new guitar. Torres gave the modern classical
4 Adrián Rius, Francisco Tárrega Biography (Valencia: Piles Editorial de Musica, 2006), 12.
5 Graham Wade, A Concise History of the Classic Guitar (Pacific, MO: Mel Bay Publications, 2001), 25.
5
guitar its definitive form, with a broadened body, increased waist curve, thinned belly, and
improved internal bracing.6 Through this brief review of the development of the guitar, it is
not hard to imagine that playing technique was influenced greatly by this new instrument.
Because Tárrega’s technique is based on Torres’ guitar, therefore, the School of Tárrega
becomes an invaluable topic for discussion from an historical and pedagogic perspective.
A thorough study of the School of Tárrega will be beneficial to every guitarist.
Before Tárrega, there were many distinguished guitarists who contributed a great deal to the
teaching of the guitar, such as Fernando Sor (1778-1839) and Dionisio Aguado (1784-1849).
Their methods were sufficiently complete and valuable during their time. For example, in
Sor’s Method for the Guitar (1830), he discussed not only technique but also harmony, sonority,
composition, and above all, music as an art. His book also included details about guitar
construction and makers. In his method, he preferred left-hand fingerings in a lower position
and favored the stronger first, second, and third finger. Compared to modern technique, the
most fundamental difference was that he advised guitar players not to use the ring finger of
the right hand except in a few cases. He preferred a fixed position for the right hand, with
index finger on the second string, middle finger on the third string, and thumb covering the
others. Current players, on the other hand, prefer to develop all the fingers equally.7 Aguado,
another Spanish classical guitar composer, became friends with and for a while lived with
Sor. On the other hand, Sor preferred a no-nail, flesh technique for tone production while
Aguado played with nails. Aguado’s use of the nails as part of his performing technique was
6 Turnbull, 77.
7David Tanebaum, The Essential Studies of Fernando Sor’s 20 Estudios (San Francisco, CA: Guitar Solo publication,
1991), 5.
6
recognized in the twentieth century as linking up with the preeminent Segovia’s concepts of
right-hand playing.8 Just like Sor and Aguado, whose methods and compositions are still
studied by many, Tárrega’s contributions are equally valuable and admired.
The development of the guitar and its teaching methods never stop. For example, it
appears that more performers are using amplified classical guitars when ensemble music and
concertos are performed. Will this become the standard for the future? Will this bring any
new techniques? There are still many ongoing debates. However, what people can do is keep
records of the history of the guitar. It was the Torres guitar that moved Tárrega to advance
the technique of the guitar and inspired him to write the studies that are the basis of this
dissertation. Tárrega and Torres, a guitarist and guitar maker, are both important links
between the tradition that was established during the latter years of the eighteenth century
and the present. Today, a hundred years have passed since the death of Tárrega. No matter
how the guitar will change or how different playing techniques will be in the future, guitar
players and educators can always learn from a thorough study of the School of Tárrega.
Method
This study will be in three parts. The first two parts are included in chapter three.
The first part will focus on the principles of the School of Tárrega, such as knowledge of the
fingerboard, sitting and playing position, and tone quality. These are issues all beginning
musicians should deal with, and the first few lessons will greatly influence a student’s future
study. In addition, playing technique will be somewhat different depending upon the
structure of the guitar, such as the length of the strings, the width of the neck of the guitar,
8 Wade, A Concise History of the Classic Guitar, 82.
7
and the number of strings. It was Tárrega who laid the foundations of modern technique
according to Antonio Torres’ new guitar. For example, the support of the instrument on the
left leg became standard because of Tárrega. Additionally, Tárrega advocated a method of
plucking the strings by the fingers of the right hand (rest stroke), and a wider use of the
right-hand ring finger.9 Because of these innovations, it is essential to review the principles
of guitar playing in order to truly understand the spirit of the School of Tárrega.
The second part of this study is a specific discussion of the mobility of each finger of
both hands. This discussion will be organized according to difficulty. It starts with the initial
plucking of each finger; it then moves to instructions for plucking on adjacent strings
between index and middle fingers and then between middle and ring fingers. The second
emphasis involves playing two notes simultaneously followed by three-note and then four-
note chords. After players have a clear understanding of playing chords, the third emphasis
focuses on playing both descending and ascending arpeggios. Later, rules about changing
positions, instructions for descending and ascending slurs, the independence of each finger,
and harmonics will be stressed. In addition, scales of major and minor keys are discussed in
the first position. In his book, Pujol used the term “quadruplet” instead of first position,
which means that these scales should be learned first and played primarily using the first four
frets. After understanding these mechanical principles and putting them into practice of
Tárrega’s studies, it will become easier to overcome the technical difficulties that the guitar
presents because the strength, elasticity, precision, and agility of the fingers are developed
gradually and effectively. As long as a player is able to give great attention to the movements
9 Theodorus Hofmeester, “Is There A School Of Tárrega?” Guitar Review 1 (1946): 5.
8
of the fingers, musical ideas can be successfully communicated between the performer and
his audience.
The third part, chapter four, will be a comparative analysis of Tárrega’s thirty
elementary-level studies and twenty-five intermediate- and advanced-level studies. These
guitar studies will be grouped according to their purposes and textures, such as scale playing,
arpeggio playing, blocked chords, and special techniques as previously stated. A study will
have its greatest influence on technique when its purpose is correctly understood; therefore,
organizing these studies into groups will allow guitar players to realize the purpose and
characteristics of each study more easily. In addition, it is almost impossible to learn every
guitar study ever written because there are so many. The most effective way to develop solid
technique is to understand what the weaknesses of one’s playing is, and then address and
practice specific studies to improve certain techniques. The difficulties and their possible
resolutions are discussed, and then some suggestions from a performer’s perspective will be
added based on the Pujol and the Roch books as well as modern methods.
Review of the Literature
Books by Adrián Rius offer abundant information about Tárrega’s biography, while
Pujol’s and Roch’s methods are extremely practical from the perspective of pedagogy. Rius is
a Spanish guitarist and his passion for the work of Tárrega has led him to write Tárrega’s
biography accompanied with valuable letters, pictures, and manuscripts. Tárrega was born
on 21 November 1852, in Villarreal, Castellón, Spain. He entered the Real Conservatorio,
Madrid, in 1874, where he studied piano and harmony. At this period of his life he began his
lifelong task of transcribing music for the guitar from other instruments. His repertoire at
9
the time is said to have included works by Fernando Sor, Dionisio Aguado, Julián Arcas
(1832-1882), and some of his own transcriptions. In March 1881, Tárrega went to France
where he played a number of recitals in both Lyons and Paris, including a performance in
the presence of Queen Isabel II, Princess Mathilde, and Baron Rothschild. In 1884 Tárrega
gave a concert in collaboration with Issac Albéniz (1860-1909) in Barcelona, where he lived
in 1888. He still traveled to many places for performances, such as Perpignan (France), Cadiz
(Spain), Nice (France), Mallorca (Spain), Paris, and Valencia. In Valencia, he met Conxa
Martinez. She was a rich widow and she lent him and his family a house in Sant Gervasi,
Barcelona. It was there that Tárrega composed a majority of his famous masterpieces.10
Tárrega continued to perform throughout his life. His programs included his own
compositions as well as transcriptions from Frédéric Chopin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,
Franz Schubert, Felix Mendelssohn, Giuseppe Verdi, and Albéniz. Tárrega died in 1909, on
15 December, at the age of 57.
Emilio Pujol began his studies with Tárrega at the Conservatory of Barcelona in
1901. His books Guitar School Book One, Two, and Three are theoretical and practical methods
for the guitar based on the principles of Tárrega. The first volume offers an overall
background of the development of music notation, playing posture, and general technique.
The second volume contains extensive instructions of how to train the mobility of the
fingers. Some short exercises are included with clear explanations. The third volume is more
about advanced techniques such as the use of the barré and slur, and the reach and span
between the fingers. These three books are considered to be scholastic, yet it is the balanced
10 Rius, 104
10
exercise progression followed by detailed playing suggestions that make these books
invaluable guides to the guitar.
Besides Pujol’s methods, Pasucal Roch’s Modern Method for Guitar According to the School
of Tárrega, Book One, Two, and Three, published in 1921 by the G. Schirmer Publishing House
of New York, is another important resource for an understanding of Tárrega’s teaching.
Roch was born in Valencia, Spain in 1860 and died in 1921 in Havana, Cuba. He was a
student and an admirer of Tárrega, and he was also famous as a concert artist and guitar
builder. He collected manuscripts of pieces and exercises by Tárrega and published them in
Spanish, French, and English.11 There are practical suggestions of training in regard to the
School of Tárrega. Many issues are thoroughly discussed such as barré technique and the
playing of scales, arpeggios, legatos, slurs, and harmonics. Included are some compositions
by Tárrega along with playing advice. Tárrega dedicated a large portion of his time to the
teaching of the guitar. In his book, Roch mentions that Tárrega even proposed to write a
guitar method book; although it appears that he never did.12 Books by Pujol and Roch,
therefore, will be one of the main resources to greatly enhance an understanding of Tárrega’s
musical world.
Tárrega’s Thirty Elementary Level Studies and Twenty-Five Studies for Intermediate and
Advanced Level will be analyzed and discussed. These two volumes were published based
purely on original manuscripts by publisher Soneto Ediciones Musicales. The former focuses
largely on fundamental technique issues while the latter was written for advanced students.
11 Ibid., 76.
12 Ibid., 12.
11
Related literature from Christopher Berg’s Mastering Guitar Technique: Process & Essence,
Charles Duncan’s The Art of Classical Guitar Playing, Richard Provost’s Classic Guitar Technique–
Volume One: Scale Source Book and Volume Two: Arpeggio Source Book, Hector Quine’s Guitar
Technique–Intermediate to Advanced, Aaron Shearer’s Learning the Classic Guitar–Part 1, Part 2, and
Part 3, Scott Tennant’s Pumping Nylon–The Classical Guitarist’s Technique Handbook, and
Christopher Parkening’s The Christopher Parkening Guitar Method, Volume One and Two will be
studied. These current methods will be used to show how Tárrega’s technique has evolved
into our modern technique.
Glossary
It will be easier for the reader to fully comprehend this research if some specific
terms and symbols are explained in advance. In a musical score (Figure 1), the circled
numbers indicate strings. Circle 1 is the highest string, and circle 6 is the lowest string. The
right-hand fingers (Figure 2) are identified by the first letter of the Spanish terms pulgar, indice,
medio, aunlar, and chico and the left-hand fingers (except the thumb) are identified by Arabic
numbers. In this study, all the right-hand fingerings (p-i-m-a-c) will be written in italics.
Figure 1: Open String Notation
12
Figure 2: Fingerings of Both Hands
Right Hand
Free Stroke: when making a stroke, the right-hand finger does not come to rest against the
next lower string (Figure 3).
Rest Stroke: when making a stroke, the right-hand finger comes to rest against the next,
lower string (Figure 4).
Figure 3: Free Stroke Figure 4: Rest Stroke
Sequential Planting: playing an arpeggio by planting one finger after another; each finger
planting at the moment when the one before it is playing. For example, when an arpeggio
needs to be played in the order of p-i-m-a, the following finger movement is required: As p
plays, i plants; as i plays, m plants; as m plays, a plants; and so on.
13
String Crossing: playing from one string to an adjacent string. However, sometimes this
movement will become challenging when skipping one or more strings is required or when
the right-hand fingering is unnatural. Figure 5 illustrates an unnatural fingering. The natural
fingering to play F and G is i-m or m-a because G is on a higher string. If one plays these two
consecutive notes with the m-i fingering, the index finger crosses the middle finger, which is
considered as an unnatural fingering.
Figure 5: String Crossing Notation
Tremolo: a rapid repetition of the same note. In classical guitar it refers to a repeated
melody note with an added bass line, giving the illusion of two instruments playing together.
It is usually played using the following right-hand fingering: p-a-m-i.
Figure 6: Tremolo Notation
Harmonics: overtones produced when players lightly touch a string at nodal points with the
left hand while plucking the string with the right hand. These nodal points work best at frets
12, 7, and 5, and they are called natural harmonics. The sounding will be one octave, one
octave and a fifth, or two octaves above the open note depending on which fret is played.
14
Artificial harmonics are produced when the right index finger lightly touches a string 12 frets
higher than a fretted note while the right-hand thumb or ring finger plucks it. This allows
players to make any note a harmonic, and the artificial harmonic will sound an octave higher
than the fretted note. To designate a harmonic in a musical score, abbreviations such as harm.
or ar. harm will be marked next to a note, accompanied by a fret number (Figure 7), or it
could be notated as a diamond-shaped note indicating the actual sounding pitch.
Figure 7: Harmonics Notation
Left Hand
Barré: to depress more than one string simultaneously on a single fret with the index finger
of the left hand. A full barré is to depress all six strings. To depress two to five strings is
called a partial barré. A capital C (cejilla in Spanish) or a Roman numeral is used for notating
a barré (Figure 8).
Figure 8: Barré Notation
15
Slur: plucking one note and then sounding the following note(s) with a left-hand finger only.
There are two types of slurs. When executing an ascending slur, or hammer-on, a player brings
a left-hand fingertip down on a string with sufficient force to sound a second note after
plucking the first note. The second type is a descending slur, or a pull-off, when the left-hand
finger actually plucks the string as it is taken off; the finger pulls downward and into the next,
higher string. A line between two different notes is used for notating a slur (Figure 9).
Figure 9: Slur Notation
Pivot Finger: a left-hand finger that remains stationary while other fingers move to new
positions. In Figure 10, the E in the first measure and the F in the second are the pivot
fingers.
Figure 10: Pivot Finger Notation
Guide Finger: a left-hand finger that does not entirely leave the string when moving to a
new note. In Figure 11, the third finger is a guide finger that switches from C to D (the last
16
quarter-note in the first measure to the first quarter-note in the second measure). Similarly,
the circled second finger is a guide finger as well that switches from A to B.
Figure 11: Guide Finger Notation
17
CHAPTER TWO
BIOGRAPHICAL BACKGROUND OF FRANCISCO TÁRREGA
Francisco Tárrega was born on Sunday, November 21, 1852, in Villarreal, Castellón,
Spain. His father, Francisco Tárrega Tirado, and his mother, Antonia Eixea Broch, were
married in the convent of San Pascual. Tárrega was named Francisco de Asís Tárrega y Eixea
because the first-born child in every home took the names of both parents. Two years later,
his mother nicknamed him ‘Quiquet.’ Tárrega’s father worked as a security guard and his
mother did chores for the local nuns. Tárrega’s father played flamenco and several other
musical styles on his guitar. When his father was working, Tárrega would take his father’s
guitar and attempt to imitate beautiful sounds.13
During the period of time when Tárrega’s father became ill, Antonia felt it was
necessary to leave her children in the care of a neighbor so she could take care of her sick
husband. Unfortunately, Tárrega’s nanny became angry about something that Tárrega did,
and she threw him into a canal close to their house as punishment. Some neighbors walking
past the house who witnessed what happened raced over to pull him from the water,
preventing him from possibly drowning. This incident severely affected his eyesight and was
13 Rius, 18.
the origin of eye problems that required many operations but never came to a successful
conclusion.14
Since Tárrega showed a great interest in music, his father allowed him to study music
formally. It is true that the guitar was still regarded as an accompanying instrument, so his
father decided to let Tárrega learn the piano instead of the guitar. During that period of time,
his first music teacher was Eugeni Ruiz, who gave Tárrega lessons in piano. Ruiz was a blind
musician and a pianist at a local Café. However, Tárrega’s passion was still the guitar, and his
father introduced him to Manuel González. González was known in the area as El Ciego de la
Marina (the Blind Man of the Sea), but he was not totally blind. He earned a living by selling
guitars, performing, and teaching, and he was the best guitar player in Castellón at that time.
In 1862, the concert guitarist Julián Arcas gave a program in Castellón. After the
concert, Tárrega had the chance to play the guitar for Arcas. Arcas was impressed by
Tárrega’s playing and advised his father to bring him to Barcelona to study with him.
However, Tárrega had only a few lessons before Arcas left for a concert tour abroad.
Although he was only ten years old, he ran away and tried to start a musical career by playing
in cafeterias, pubs, and restaurants in Barcelona. He was soon found and brought back to his
father, but later in 1865, he ran away again to Valencia where he played music with a gang of
gypsies. His father brought him back home once more, but he ran away a third time to
Valencia. Because of these performing experiences, Tárrega was proficient on both the piano
and the guitar by his early teens. There was one night that Tárrega had to play a guitar with
only four strings because he ran out of money to buy new strings. He improvised his concert
14 Rius, 18.
19
that day with the four remaining strings.15 In spite of his talent, he could not earn enough
money by playing the guitar and piano. He eventually returned home to help his family.
Young Tárrega enrolled at the Madrid Conservatory in 1874. He studied piano with
professors Miguel Galiana and Rafael Hernando as well as music theory with José Gainza.
According to Tarrega’s pupil, Julio Gómez, Tárrega played on the piano before his
classmates with a perfect sense of rhythm and interpretation. He even played the lessons
backwards from end to beginning without making any mistakes.16 During that period, Emilio
Arrieta was the director of the Conservatory. After hearing Tárrega’s playing, Arrieta invited
Tárrega to play the guitar for the university faculty and encouraged Tárrega to focus on the
guitar for his musical career. Tárrega received much acclaim for his playing and began
traveling to other areas of Spain to perform. Among Tárrega’s admirers there was a rich
merchant named Antonio Cánesa Mendayas. In the mid-autumn of 1869 he introduced the
La Leona guitar to Tárrega. This guitar had robust resonance and a warm tone, which were
the signatures of Antonio de Torres’ work. It became Tárrega’s favorite guitar for many
years. Tárrega played it until 1897 and he used another Torres’ guitar, Almería, until the end
of his days.17
By the end of the 1870s, Tárrega was teaching the guitar and performing regular
concerts. Because of his great performance, he was being acclaimed as ‘the Sarasate of the
guitar’ by 1880.18 During the winter of 1880-81, Tárrega played a concert in Alicante, Spain.
15 Ibid., 22.
16 Ibid., 39.
17 Ibid., 32.
18 Graham Wade, Traditions of the Classic Guitar (London: John Calder Ltd., 1980), 143.
20
After the concert, an important man in town, don Vicente Rizo, asked Tárrega to listen to
his daughter, María José Rizo, who was learning to play guitar; Tárrega fell in love with her.
In 1881, Tárrega went to France, where his success continued. He played in several theaters
and was even invited to play for the ex-Queen of Spain, Isabel II. He later continued his tour
in London. He returned to Spain to get married to María José Rizo during the Christmas
season of 1882.19
Tárrega and his wife moved to Madrid, earning their living by teaching privately and
playing concerts. But after the death of an infant daughter, Maria Josefa, they settled
permanently in Barcelona in 1885. They had three more children: Paquito, Maria Rosatia,
and Concepción. This was Tárrega’s mature period; he had frequent tours in different cities
such as Perpignan (France), Cadiz (Spain), Nice (France), Mallorca (Spain), Paris (France),
and Valencia (Spain), etc. To enlarge his guitar repertoire and also make use of his
knowledge of keyboard music he transcribed numerous piano works by Beethoven, Chopin,
Mendelssohn, and Albéniz. Many of his friends in Barcelona were pianists, composers, and
musicians such as Enrique Granados (1867-1916), Joaquín Turina (1882-1949), Pablo Casals
(1876-1973), and Joaquín Malats (1872-1912). Turina wrote pieces for the guitar and Malats’
Serenata Española was successfully transcribed for the guitar by Tárrega.20
In 1888, Tárrega had another concert tour in Andalusia. He expanded his
relationship with students, such as Francisco Corell, Tonico Tello, and Pascual Roch (1860-
1921). Roch was a concert artist and guitar builder. After Tárrega’s death, he collected
manuscripts of pieces and exercises by Tárrega, and wrote the three volumes of methods
19 Rius, 49.
20 Ibid., 67.
21
named The Modern Method for the Guitar–School of Tárrega. With 395 pages of text in Spanish,
French, and English, it was first published by the G. Schirmer Publishing House of New
York (1921).21 Later in 1892, Tárrega met Miguel Llobet (1878-1938), who studied with him.
Llobet became one of the greatest guitarists and composers during the first half of the
twentieth century.22
In 1896, on a concert tour in Valencia, Tárrega met a wealthy widow, Doña Concha
Martínez, who became a valuable patron to him. She allowed Tárrega and his family to use
her house in Barcelona where he wrote the bulk of his masterpieces. Later she took Tárrega
to Granada, where he was impressed by the famed Moorish palace of the Alhambra. They
visited the palace in late afternoon when it was growing dark and was full of shades of red,
orange, and yellow. Tárrega composed the theme of his famous “Recuerdos de la Alhambra”
on the same night. Tárrega later dedicated this piece to his friend Alfred Cottin, a
Frenchman who had arranged his Paris concerts.23
In 1900, Tárrega visited Algiers, where he heard an ostinato rhythm played by some
traditional ethnic instruments accompanying a monotonous melody. The following morning
he composed his famous “Danza Mora” based on that rhythm.24 In 1901, Emilio Pujol
(1886-1980) began his studies with Tárrega at the Conservatory of Barcelona. Later, Pujol
wrote three books, Guitar School Book One, Two, and Three, which are theoretical and practical
21 Ibid., 76.
22
Allan Kozinn, Pete Welding, Dan Forte, and Gene Santoro. The Guitar: the History, the Music, the Players (New
York: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1984), 33.
23 Rius, 108.
24 Ibid., 111.
22
methods for the guitar based on the principles of Tárrega. Around 1902, Tárrega started to
cut his nails little by little until they almost disappeared behind his finger’s skin. Playing
without nails to produce sweet sounds became one of the characteristics of the School of
Tárrega.25
It is also important to know that the guitar had been viewed as an accompanying
instrument for most people; therefore, transcribing familiar pieces from other instruments
was a major way for Tárrega to make audiences realize the beautiful sound of the guitar. As
mentioned above, Tárrega transcribed pieces from the piano when he was young; in his later
years he even successfully transcribed works from opera such as Marche Tanhäuser by Wagner
(dated 04-27-1903) and Intermezzo from Carmen by Bizet (dated 02-17-1904).26 Even though
Tárrega was regarded as a great guitar composer, the programs in his concerts still contained
many of his transcriptions of other musicians’ works. Actually, a mixture of transcriptions
and works originally written for the guitar provided the central inspiration for the guitar for
many decades. In particular, Tárrega advocated arranging works from the great composers:
Bach, Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Paganini, and
Schubert, as well as from a variety of Spanish composers: Albéniz, Arrieta, Chueca, Malats,
and Valverde.27
In January 1906, Tárrega was afflicted with paralysis on his right side, and though he
would eventually return to the concert stage, he never completely recovered. In October
1908, he felt nostalgic and returned to Castellon. Then in 1909 he went to Novelda,Valencia,
25 Ibid., 118.
26 Ibid., 155.
27 Wade, A Concise History of the Classic Guitar, 99.
23
Cullera, and Alcoi to play concerts. The long illness exhausted the family’s funds, so his
friends arranged and played a series of bimonthly concerts to raise funds for him. Tárrega
finished his last work, “Oremus”, on December 2, 1909. He died in Barcelona during the
same year on December 15, at the age of 57.
As a composer, Tárrega wrote in the romantic style. His works vividly convey
picturesque images and have certain Chopinesque features.28 Although guitar music at the
beginning of the twentieth century was still more romantic than contemporary, Tárrega
influenced several guitar composers such as Agustin Barrios (1885-1944), Emilio Pujol
(1886-1980), and Federico Moreno Torroba (1891-1982). His works allowed guitar music to
continue developing until Andrés Segovia started the present revival of interest in the
guitar.29 As a performer, Tárrega was significant not only because he was successful but also
because the Torres guitar was built about the same time. Since Torres established the general
construction of the guitar, Tárrega was able to define more details about playing the guitar to
today’s standard. Through Tárrega’s pupils’ successful recitals and musicological activities,
the guitar continued to be established on a firm footing even after his death. Tárrega has
played a remarkable role for the guitar as an educator, performer, and composer.
28 Ibid., 99.
29 Turnbull, 107.
24
CHAPTER THREE
THE PRINCIPLES OF THE SCHOOL OF TÁRREGA
Since the School of Tárrega is closely associated with the Torres guitar, the Pujol and
Roch books offer thorough details in regard to the construction of a string, how to choose
the strings of the guitar, how to tune a guitar, an overview of the development of notation,
and left- and right-hand positions. In order to discuss issues that are more closely associated
with playing technique, the following section is organized to focus on sitting position, right-
hand and left-hand positions, the quality of sound, and some suggestions regarding
performance and practice, which are more related to the purpose of this study. Besides the
information described in the Pujol and Roch books, modern technique will be discussed and
compared at the end of each section. By comparing the differences between the principles of
the School of Tárrega and modern technique, players will have a more complete concept
about how to develop a correct and suitable playing technique.
Sitting Position
Tárrega provided guidelines on the sitting position based on the dimensions of the
Torres new guitar. Before Tárrega, there was no standard method of holding a guitar. For
example, the guitar can be supported on the left leg resting on a footstool, but the right leg
was also used, as demonstrated by Fernando Sor.30 Another Spanish guitarist and composer
Dionisio Aguado invented a “tripodion,” which is a device designed to hold the bottom part
of the guitar. Finally, a common recommendation as set by the musicians of the School of
Tárrega is that a guitarist should sit on a strong chair on which his body can achieve perfect
stability. A guitar player should place the lower concave curve of the guitar on his left leg and
gently rest the back of the guitar against his chest, leaning slightly forward and keeping the
shoulders in a natural position. The left leg should rest on a small stool and should form an
acute angle with the body. The foot stool should be 15 to 17 cm. high at the front (where the
toe rests), and 12 to 14 cm. high at the back (where the heel rests). Pujol emphasizes that
“these dimensions can be greater or smaller depending on the height of the chair and the
stature of the performer.”31 Roch, in his book, offers more additional details: “the neck of
the guitar should reach the height of the shoulder, and the twelfth fret should be in the
vertical line with a player’s head.”32
From the modern point of view, in the common playing position, a triangle is
created with the guitar touching the body at three points: (1) at the lower part of the chest, (2)
at the top of the left thigh, and (3) at the inner part of the right thigh.33 A footstool is still
very common, but a guitar support is widely used as well. A guitar support, without a
footstool, can lift the guitar from the player’s knee while he or she can keep both feet firmly
30 Turnbull, 102.
31 Emilio Pujol, Guitar School–A Theoretical-Practical Method for the Guitar, Volume One (Columbus, OH: Editions
Orphee, Inc., 1983), 52.

32Pascual Roch, A Modern Method for the Guitar–School of Tárrega, Volume One (New York, NY: G. Schirmer, Inc.,
1917), 11.
33
Scott Tennant, Pumping Nylon–The Classical Guitarist’s Technique Handbook (Van Nuys, CA: Alfred Publishing
Co., Inc., 1995), 8.
26
on the ground. It does not matter whether a player is using a footstool or a guitar support,
this ‘triangle position’ still corresponds with the general principles of the School of Tárrega.
Right-Hand Position
After establishing the proper sitting position, the next step is to learn the right-hand
position. As with sitting position, the positions of the right hand also reveal no general
agreement in the early nineteenth century.34 The musicians of the School of Tárrega set some
principles that have been somewhat modified by modern players.
According to Pujol, when one keeps the forearm supported, he abandons the right
hand to its own weight and the wrist will be in an arched position. Moving the right hand
towards the sound hole, the knuckles of the index, middle, annular, and little fingers should
be parallel to the line of the string. The distance between wrist and the surface of the sound
hole should be approximately 4 cm.35 Roch has similar opinions. He suggests “the thumb-
side is about an inch from the soundboard.”
From the modern point-of-view, many present guitarists have modified Tárrega’s
position. Take the right-wrist for example: The School of Tárrega stated that the wrist
should be in an arched position while some modern players think the wrist should be
naturally straight. According to Scott Tennant, a contemporary guitarist, if players keep their
wrists bent while making a fist, it is not completely comfortable. This discomfort happens
because the tendons are not free inside the carpal tunnels. Therefore, it is more comfortable
to keep the wrist relatively straight so that the fingers will work correctly and freely. There is
34 Turnbull, 102.
35 Pujol, Volume One, 55.
27
still no correct answer for players to straighten or just slightly bend their right-hand wrists.
What is sure and needs to be considered is that “bending the wrist too far aggravates the
tendons and could eventually cause irreparable damage.”36
Another difference between the School of Tárrega and modern guitarists is that the
former suggested that one should hold the fingers perpendicular to the strings while the
latter will hold the fingers at a slight angle. As Pujol states in his book, if the knuckles of the
fingers are parallel to the line of the string, it will result in a rightward twist of the wrist.37
The advantage of this right-hand position is that players can maintain the same angle when
striking strings, especially in scale passages. According to Hector Quine, however, this
position will cause tension by stressing the tendons on the thumb side of the wrist.
Moreover, with this position, it is the tip of the nail that attacks the string, which usually
compromises the tonal quality.38 On the other hand, modern guitarists usually hold the
fingers at a slight angle to the string without a rightward twist of the wrist. This position
keeps the tendons moving freely without unnecessary tension, and it “allows the guitarist to
pluck the strings with the left side of his fingers, thus producing a better sound.”39
Left-Hand Position
Many principles of the left-hand position in the School of Tárrega are similar to the
modern position. First, both agree when holding the guitar, the left-hand thumb is straight
and the tip-joint is against the neck of the guitar, somewhat below the middle of the curve
36 Tennant, 6.
38 Hector Quine, Guitar Technique–Intermediate to Advanced (New York: Oxford University Press, 1990), 15.
39Alexander Bellow, The Illustrated History of the Guitar (Rockville Centre, NY: F. Colombo Publications, 1970),
180.
28
of neck. The placement of the thumb is very important because some beginners will tend to
embrace the neck of the guitar without placing their thumbs on the back side of the neck.
This faulty position will cause uneven pressure and will also compromise smoothness when
moving up or down. Roch points out that “it is an extremely bad habit.”40 Second, the tip-
joint of left-hand fingers should press on the strings vertically on their respective frets.
Modern guitarists have more explanations about finger placement: Because of the variations
in each finger, the first finger usually touches on the left side of its tip, and the fourth fingers
usually touches on the right side of its tip.41 Although there are tiny differences among each
finger, the basic rule remains the same in both the School of Tárrega and modern guitarists:
Tip joints must stand as vertically as possible to the fingerboard.
The main difference between the schools is in the wrist. As mentioned earlier, the
School of Tárrega recommends that players should hold the back of the hand curved then
the wrist will bend naturally without constraint. On the other hand, modern players will keep
the wrist straight rather than arched. The reason is the same as with the playing position of
the right-hand wrist: to keep the tendons straight inside the carpal tunnels so that the fingers
can move more freely without tension. There is no correct answer with this issue either, but
it is necessary to bear in mind that “bending the wrist too much makes it a struggle to
play.”42
40 Roch, Volume One, 12.

41 Tennant, 10.
42 Ibid., 7.
29
Right-Hand Finger Movements
After discussing the sitting position and the right- and left-hand playing position,
more details regarding finger movements should be stated. When plucking strings, according
to Roch, the middle, index, and ring fingers should work in such a manner that only the tip-
joint and middle-joint are moved. Pujol describes three phases of right-hand plucking: (1)
placing the finger into contact with the designated string, (2) concentrating force into the
fingertip and moving the string out of its position by a movement of the last joint towards
the next adjacent string, (3) continuing the pressure until the string slides back and begins to
vibrate.43
Pujol’s description is similar to the modern technique. Today, players explain the
right-hand movement in three steps: (1) planting (preparation), (2) pressure, and (3) release.
Planting involves preparing or placing a fingertip on a string accurately to make a stroke.
Pressure means how much force to put on a string, which determines the loudness of a note.
Release determines the sound; this movement means to free the finger when it is back in
place for the next note. Overall, these three movements all take place in such a rapid
succession that they blend together into one movement.44
The movement of thumb needs to be discussed separately because the thumb moves
the string toward the floor while other fingers move the string toward the body. According
to Roch, “the right-hand thumb should pluck the string solely by the movement of its tip-

44 Tennant, 35.
30
joint, catching the string by the edge of the tip.”45 However, for the modern technique,
according to Quine, the thumb moves the string from the main joint with “the other two
joints being kept straight.”46 Tennant also advocates using the large joint instead of the tip
joint in the thumb movement.47
Left-Hand Finger Movements
The movements of left-hand fingers of guitarists involve horizontal and vertical
motions to the strings. Because the left-hand fingers are frequently moving up and down on
the neck of the guitar, the movements of left-hand fingers somehow are more complicated
than those of the right hand. In the School of Tárrega, Pujol categorizes the horizontal
movements of the left hand into four types: substitution, skip, glissando, and crossing fingers.
The first category is substitution, meaning “substitution of one finger for another, on
the same string and at the same fret.”48 In the first measure of Example 1, the A notes in the
second half of the first beat and the first half of the second beat are substituted from first
finger to second finger.
Example 1: Substitution of the Left-Hand Fingers

46 Quine, 30.
47 Tennant, 40.
48 Emilio Pujol, Guitar School–A Theoretical-Practical Method for the Guitar, Volume Three (Columbus, OH: Editions
Orphee, Inc., 1983), 6.
31
The second category is skip, meaning “skipping one or several fingers, to neighboring
or distant frets.”49 In Example 2, the G-sharp in the second half of the first beat is followed
by B-flat, which is played by the second finger. Under normal conditions, B-flat should be
played with the third finger. This is called a skip.
Example 2: Skip of the Left-Hand Fingers
The third category is glissando, involving “one or more fingers between consecutive
notes.”50 In the first measure of Example 3, the A in the second half of the first beat and the
following A-sharp are both played with the third finger. This is called a glissando.
Example 3: Glissando of the Left-Hand Fingers
The fourth category is crossing fingers, which is performed “by crossing fingers over
adjacent or non-adjacent frets.” 51 In the first measure of Example 4, the A-sharp is played
with the first finger after it crosses the second finger of the previous A.
49 Pujol, Volume Three, 6.

50 Ibid.
51 Ibid.
32
Example 4: Crossing Fingers of the Left Hand
These four types of horizontal movement of the left hand have been useful and used
in modern playing technique. Regarding vertical movement, although there are no specific
terms that are defined, Pujol designed finger exercises focusing on the intervals of successive
major and minor thirds on neighboring strings. Many of the intervals of the thirds require
guitar players to move their fingers in an opposing movement which is a vertical motion.
Example 5: Pujol Finger Exercise–Vertical Motion of the Intervals of the Thirds
Modern technique focuses both on the horizontal and vertical movements. For
example, Example 6 aims to train the left-hand fingers in opposing motion. This example is
commonly nicknamed “the spider” because when it is played smoothly, the left hand
resembles a spider crawling up the neck.52
Example 6: “The Spider” Exercise for the Left-Hand Independence
52 Tennant, 22.
33
Sound Quality
The quality of sound involves many different elements. For example, each string can
produce different sounds depending on the direction of a stroke, at which point it is struck,
and how a player moves a string. In addition, the shape and length of the nail and how the
tip and nail approach the string will also influence tone production. Actually, the use of nail
had been argued from the eighteenth century to the early nineteenth century.53 In the
classical period, two distinguished guitarists, Fernando Sor (1778-1839) and Dionisio
Aguado (1784-1849), had different opinions regarding fingernails. Sor preferred to play with
the flesh. On the other hand, Aguado played with nails on the index, middle, and annular
fingers but used flesh on the thumb. It is essential that every classical guitarist produces great
tone.
Since there are both advantages and disadvantages to playing with or without
fingernails, the School of Tárrega compares the differences between these two types of
playing. In his book, Pujol mentions that the fingernail is hard, so it produces a brilliant,
quick and a rather metallic sound. On the other hand, when playing without nails, the string
is struck by a smooth and subtle object, which gives a sound of greater softness and
fullness.54 Fingernails are capable of bringing out greater contrast and gain brilliance and
strength while fingers can create sweetness and fullness.
Although there are different perspectives in regard to playing with or without nails,
Pujol thought it was preferable for beginners to play without nails rather than with nails.
This is because the portion of the flesh that contacts a string is larger than the contact point
53 James Tyler and Paul Sparks, The Guitar and Its Music (New York: Oxford University Press, 2002), 261.
34
of the nail. The flesh then produces more resistance. Therefore, for a beginner, “it will be
easier to move from a form of playing which offers some resistance to another which offers
less than the other way round.”55 Interestingly, Roch did not offer any opinion regarding
using nails or not, but he begged students to “give [the] striking string careful attention to
ensure the greatest accuracy and purity of tone.”56 For the School of Tárrega, one of the
main characteristics is to pursue an excellent quality of sound. Eventually, a player should go
through a stage of trying, listening, and deciding his favorite sound.
For the modern technique, one of the most important guitarists in the twentieth
century, Andrés Segovia, established a nail-flesh combination that is commonly used today.
In this type of playing, when the fingers are initially placed on the strings, only the flesh
makes contact, and then the nail moves the string to make a strike. Consequently, the shape
and finish of the fingernails largely determine tone quality in the attack; when the nail is
properly shaped, the tone will be splendid.57
To further enhance tone quality, another modern guitarist, Quine, highly
recommends a great deal of practicing of the rest stroke prior to the free stroke. He feels the
rest stroke provides vital training for a positive attack by the fingers and establishes habits
that will still produce a firm tone when playing free stroke.58 This suggestion is similar to
Pujol’s recommendation to practice with flesh rather than with nail only because a rest
stroke creates more resistance than the free stroke just like the flesh creates more resistance

57 Charles Duncan, The Art of Classical Guitar Playing (Miami, FL: Summy-Birchard Inc., 1980), 51.
58 Quine, 27.
35
than the nail. Although the School of Tárrega did not discuss the nail issue as much as
modern guitarists do, many of its principles remain useful and practical.
Instructions for Study and Performance
In the process of studying classical guitar, one of the difficulties is to find a proper
fingering because the same note can be played in a variety of different places. For example, a
written middle C can be played on the third fret of the fifth string; it can also be sounded on
the eighth fret of the sixth string. In addition, not all hands are of the same size, strength, or
skill. All these factors will make the fingering arrangements quite different. Although there
are many varieties among players, the School of Tárrega offers some guidance when
choosing fingerings. According to Pujol, “one should be guided by an attitude which adapts
itself to the natural action and position of fingers and respecting the musical requirements of
each passage.” 59 Players should try to avoid awkward leaps between fingers and seek to
eliminate all unnecessary effort. Roch does not focus on natural playing, but he mentions
the importance of slow and daily practice.
Natural playing becomes increasingly important for the modern musicians. The
Alexander Technique shows the importance of natural playing and being relaxed. The main
purpose of this technique is to change habits and attitudes, which releases the body and
mind, enhances body awareness and functioning, and gives the body new freedom,
coordination, and energy. Related to natural playing, a recent book called The Natural Classical
Guitar (1991) by Lee F. Ryan is also popular and useful among guitarists because effortless
playing is such a natural approach and will improve one’s playing. A few quotes from the
36
modern guitarist Christopher Berg may be helpful for the inspiration of natural and effective
guitar playing: “to understand movement, we must feel, not strain,” “effective action
improves the body and its capacity to act,” and “observation of the self is better than
mechanical repetition.”60
In summary, the School of Tárrega offers a detailed discussion about how holding a
guitar and sitting position, as well as the right- and left- hand positions should be achieved.
The modern playing position, using a footstool, was set by Tárrega. Other movements of
the left- and right-hand fingers such as substitution, skip, glissando, and crossing fingers are still
the foundation of the modern technique.
During training for finger mobility, slow, daily, effortless, and natural practice are
required. In addition, great tone quality is always the main goal of the School of Tárrega. For
the beginner, practicing without nails comes before practicing with nails. As emphasized
before, there is no right or wrong approach regarding the use of nails or not, or which stroke
(free/rest) is better. All these issues will be different depending on the individual. What
players need to do is understand the advantages and disadvantages of nail and stroke issues
and then spend time practicing and finding their favorite sounds and interpretations.
Through comparing the School of Tárrega with modern technique, most of
Tárrega’s concepts are still extremely valuable nowadays but some, such as the angle of the
right hand and the wrist, are not. The School of Tárrega keeps the right-hand fingers parallel
to the string with a rightward twist of the wrist. Modern technique, on the other hand,
recommends the right-hand fingers to contact the string at a slight angle but with a straight
60 Christopher Berg, Mastering Guitar Technique: Process & Essence (Pacific, MO: Mel Bay Publications, Inc., 1997),
20.
37
wrist. In addition, the School of Tárrega prefers to hold both the right and left wrists arched
while modern guitarists will keep both wrists straight to avoid extra stress. Actually, there are
still a few modern guitarists who will keep their right-hand fingers perpendicular to the
strings when playing scale passages. It is believed that keeping the wrist too arched can make
it difficult to play and may cause physical damage.
38
CHAPTER FOUR
TÁRREGA’S THIRTY ELEMENTARY LEVEL STUDIES AND TWENTY-FIVE
INTERMEDIATE AND ADVANCED LEVEL STUDIES
Tárrega’s fifty-five studies will be discussed in groups so that the purpose of each
study is clearly set forth and the difficulty of practicing is properly resolved. These groups
are organized in the order of scale playing, arpeggio playing, blocked chords, barré technique
and slur playing. Some discussions will be offered in regard to right- and left-hand issues. It
is important to understand that although the Tárrega studies appear prior to the Pujol and
Roch methods historically, Tárrega had few descriptions in his studies while Pujol and Roch
had more explanations regarding how to practice, based on their learning experiences from
Tárrega. It will be easier to comprehend the School of Tárrega by reviewing musical
examples taken from the Pujol and Roch books first and then applying the Pujol and Roch
principles to the Tárrega studies.
In addition, some modern playing principles will be discussed following each section.
There are many famous guitarists and educators who have published books and methods
that are influential; the selected ones in this study include Christopher Berg, Charles Duncan,
Richard Provost, Hector Quine, Aaron Shearer, Scott Tennant, and Christopher Parkening.
By comparing the advantages and disadvantage between the School of Tárrega and the
modern technique, guitar players can truly understand how to practice and how to choose
the most suitable techniques for learning Tárrega’s music.
Scale Playing Based on the Pujol and Roch Books
Left-Hand Issues
In the Pujol book, scale playing is discussed in four sections. The first part is
preparation. Regarding the left hand in the preparatory stage, a player should try to reduce as
much as possible the movements of the fingers. There are two ways to do this: first, when a
note is followed by another note or notes but lower in pitch, the left hand should stop them
all at once. Second, when a note is followed by another note or notes on the same string but
higher in pitch, the fingers are not lifted but remain in place for as long as they do not
impede the playing of the subsequent notes.61 Example 7 indicates to hold the first finger for
three measures.
Example 7: Pujol Exercise–Hold Fingers
The second section in the Pujol book contains all the major and minor scales in first
position. These major scales are studied in the order of the circle of fifths along with the
relative minor scales. The minor scales contain both harmonic and melodic forms. Scales in
sharp keys are first learned, followed by flat keys.
61
Emilio Pujol, Guitar School–A Theoretical-Practical Method for the Guitar, Volume Two (Columbus, OH: Editions
Orphee, Inc., 1983), 113.
40
The third section regarding scale playing offers more fingering exercises in order to
improve the independence, security, and agility of the left-hand fingers. These exercises
include various combinations of left-hand fingerings such as 2-3, 1-2-4, 1-3-4, 1-2-3-4, etc.
The fourth section deals with chromatic scales. It demands that all four left-hand
fingers remain on the strings when ascending and lift successively when descending, without
moving away too much from the string. In addition, Pujol reminds performers that when
playing on the first and second string, the “wrist does not move back towards the body so
that the curve of fingers is as accentuated perpendicular as possible.”62 Keeping the left-hand
fingers curved is more important in the chromatic scale; otherwise, a faulty position will
affect the sound quality.
Roch’s approach is similar to Pujol’s. For example, he also mentions that it is a rule
to keep the fingers down until the string is changed when playing all scales and similar
passages.63 The main difference between Roch and Pujol is that Roch focuses on shifting
when playing scales. Pujol limits scale playing within the first position. Whenever a shift
happens, it should “glide easily over the fingerboard with a movement of the wrist only.”64
Interestingly, modern guitar technique reveals different points of view.
According to Charles Duncan, who uses the modern approach, all shifts are based
on either or both of two types of upper-arm movement: (1) the adduction and abduction of
the upper arm, and (2) the rotation of the upper arm. Whether ascending or descending, an
62 Pujol, Volume Two, 123.

64 Ibid., 30.
41
effective and effortless shifting occurs when the elbow leads the hand.65 Another current
guitarist, Richard Provost, has the same opinion. He thinks the shift is achieved by “releasing
the tension in the shoulder and feeling the weight of the arm.” Although a descending shift
(moving toward the head of the guitar) is a bit more difficult to feel since players are working
against gravity, all the shifts are led with the elbow.66
Although Roch’s idea regarding shifting (wrist leads the fingers) is somehow
different from modern playing technique (elbow leads the hand), most of his finger exercises
are still very valuable and well organized. For example, he arranges several shifts between
left-hand fingers, such as 2-1, 3-1, 4-1, 3-2, 4-3, 1-2, etc., and these are not uncommon
fingerings in modern guitar music. Example 8 shows a shift that happens in the first two
eighth-notes of the second measure (D-sharp to E) with a 4-1 fingering.
Example 8: Roch Exercise–Shifting
It is interesting to compare the organization of the Roch and Pujol books. Pujol
arranges scales in the order of the circle of fifths, which is common when learning tonal
music. On the other hand, Roch arranges both major and minor scales chromatically.
According to Roch, the advantage of practicing this way is to “allow a player to be
65 Duncan, 21.
66
Richard Provost, Classic Guitar Technique–Volume One: Scale Source Book (Bloomfield, CT: Professional Guitar
Publications, 1983), 19.
42
thoroughly familiar with the fingerboard.”67 Although this arrangement seems more difficult
in the learning of tonal music, the fingering for a multi-sharp or flat key major scale could be
the same as a C-major scale. This situation happens when there are no open strings used so
that the same left-hand fingering patterns could be applied to different keys. This is called a
movable scale.
Right-Hand Issues
According to Pujol, there are four right-hand fingerings that could be used when
practicing scales: i-m, m-i, m-a, and a-m.68 Repeated fingerings such as i-i, m-m, or a-a are
considered bad fingerings since the alternation between right-hand fingers allows a player to
sound notes in rapid succession. Although alternation is required when playing scale
passages, awkward string crossing sometimes occurs while moving to different strings.
Roch has a similar observation. He mentions that in passing from one string to
another, and in particular when going down, one is likely to fall into the habit of repeating
the finger which plucks the last note on the higher string.
Therefore, there are two considerations regarding right-hand fingering in playing
scale passages. The first consideration is to learn and get used to the distance between strings.
Both Pujol and Roth designed several mechanical exercises. In Example 9, when playing an
m-i fingering, the last eighth-note (F) in the first measure is on the first string and the first
eighth-note (D) in the second measure is on the second string; this is designed for practicing
an unnatural string crossing. The a-m fingering serves the same purpose.

43
Example 9: Pujol Exercise–String Crossing
Example 10 is written for practicing awkward string crossing as well. In the first
measure, the G-sharp is on the third string and the following B is on the second string. The
common right-hand fingering should be i-m, but Roch marks m-i instead.
Example 10: Roch Exercise–String Crossing
Therefore, one solution for resolving an awkward string crossing is more practice.
Another solution is to use the a finger. Example 11 demonstrates this concept. In the first
measure, if a player keeps the i-m alternation, the fourth sixteenth-note (A) in the first beat
and the first sixteenth-note (F) in second beat will be fingered m-i. Because the A is on the
second string and the following F is on the first string, this m-i fingering is considered an
awkward string crossing. Therefore, a player can easily avoid this awkward string crossing by
using the a finger for the first sixteenth-note (F) in the second beat.
Example 11: Roch Exercise–Use Ring Finger to Avoid Awkward String Crossing
44
Scale Playing in Tárrega’s Elementary and Advanced Studies
Left-Hand Issues
After reviewing the principles of Pujol and Roch, the next topic is Tárrega’s actual
studies: the elementary studies no. 11 (Example 12) and 13 (Example 13). There are some
original markings that indicate not to lift left-hand fingers until necessary. Example 12, based
on Pujol’s and Roch’s ideas, emphasizes that when playing the second eighth-note, E, in m.
1, since the following D-sharp is on the same string (second), a player should press D-sharp
and E at the same time. Meanwhile, the D-sharp appears again in the third beat in the same
measure so the third finger remains without lifting right away.
In Example 13, similarly, whenever a curved line is indicated, a player should hold
the note as written in order to minimize the movement of the left-hand finger.
Example 12: Tárrega’s Elementary Studies, No. 11, mm.1-2
45
Right-Hand Issues
The following musical examples are taken from Tárrega’s elementary studies no. 1, 7,
10, 11, 13, 15, 18 and 20 and advanced studies no. 1, 5, and 21. In Example 14, the suggested
right-hand fingering is the alternation between i-m. As in Example 11, the a is used in the
third beat of the first measure to avoid the awkward string crossing.
Example 14: Tárrega’s Elementary Studies, No. 1, mm. 1-2
In Example 15, elementary study no. 7, although the rhythmic figures are all in
triplets, alternations between i-m and i-a are still the preferred fingerings.
Besides the alternation between two fingers, elementary studies no. 13, 18 and 20
show Tárrega’s idea of alternating between three fingers. The alternation between m-a is less
natural because the a finger naturally tends to move with the m finger.69 Therefore, in
Example 16, Tárrega offers two possible fingerings: the first one is i-a and the second one is
69 Aaron Shearer, Learning the Classic Guitar–Part 1 (Pacific, MO: Mel Bay Publications, Inc., 1990), 61.
46
i-m-a. The i-m-a fingering is perfect here because there are descending sequences from
measures 4 to 10. Notice that the marked sequences, which start from the second sixteenth-
note in measure 2 of this example, consist of groups of three. It appears that the first note is
always on the lower string while the second and third notes are on the higher string in the
three-note sequences. The i-m-a fingering not only fits the idea of the group of three but also
avoids awkward string crossing.
Example 17, elementary study no. 20, is more complicated regarding right-hand
fingering. Similar to the previous example, Tárrega offers two types of right-hand fingerings.
The first type is the alternation between i-a through the whole piece. The second type of
right-hand fingering involves different fingering combinations such as i-m, m-a, i-m-a, etc.
Unlike a previous example (16), Example 17 does not allow the i-m-a fingering pattern since
awkward string crossings will frequently appear. However, the second type of right-hand
47
fingering does avoid every awkward string crossing by always using the a finger when
moving to another note on the same string or another higher string.
Advanced study no. 1 is an excellent piece for practicing scale playing. For the right-
hand fingering, Tárrega marks only m-i-m-i for half of the first measure, and then he suggests
the same right-hand fingering for the rest of this piece. According to his elementary studies,
Tárrega uses the a finger occasionally for string crossings, but why did he not use the same
principle in this advanced study? Here is a possible answer to this question: For beginners,
the i-m fingering is the most common. Although the i-m fingering will cause some
48
unavoidable string crossing, as mentioned before in Examples 10 and 11, practicing more
mechanical exercises will decrease the difficulty of string crossings.
On the other hand, for advanced students, it may be faster and more secure to play
scale passages by adding the a finger to avoid awkward string crossings. It is suggested,
therefore, to practice this advanced study no. 1 with two different fingerings: Tárrega’s i-m
fingerings will develop the security and evenness of scale playing, while occasionally using
the a finger of the right hand will ensure a more natural fingering arrangement. An
alternative fingering for part of Tárrega’s advanced study no. 1 is offered in Example 18.
There are still other possible fingerings for this study, too. As long as the right-hand
fingerings for descending string crossings are a-m, a-i, or m-i and fingerings for ascending
string crossings are i-m, i-a, or m-a, theoretically, they are all qualified as natural fingering
arrangements. Both the descending and ascending string crossings are marked with brackets
in Example 18.
49
Example 18: Tárrega’s Advanced Studies, No. 1, mm.1-15
50
In summary, one of the most important principles for practicing scale passages is to
minimize the left hand’s movements. Preparing more notes at the same time or holding
returning notes for a longer value are two ways to achieve this goal. The right-hand fingering
arrangement is also critical. An alternation among fingers is necessary; a beginner may use
the i-m or m-i fingering patterns while advanced students may add the a finger to avoid
awkward string crossing for more natural scale playing.
In order to guide guitar students to a more organized and effective way to overcome
difficulties, those who want to focus on scale playing may study Tárrega’s elementary studies
no. 1, 7, 10, 11, 13, 18, 20, 21, and 30 as well as advanced studies no. 1, 5, and 21.
51
Arpeggio Playing Based on the Pujol and Roch Books
Left-Hand Issues
An arpeggio, according to Pujol, is considered as though it were a horizontal chord:
instead of playing notes by means of a simultaneous motion of the right-hand fingers, they
are played one after the other successively. Therefore, the left-hand fingers should be placed
simultaneously in position as if for a chord.70 In Example 19, in the first measure, the left-
hand fingers should play C with the first finger, A with the third finger, and E with the
second finger at the same time.
Example 19: Pujol Exercise–Hold More Notes at Once
Roch has a similar suggestion. Using guide fingers or pivot fingers, if applicable, is
necessary for the continuity of a piece. There is a practical tip suggested by Pujol. Pujol
thinks that it is best to learn the position of each arpeggio in advance, as though each one
were a chord; then, when the left hand has become accustomed to the positions and to the
changes from one to another, the right-hand arpeggio pattern should be applied to them.71

71 Ibid., 148.
52
Right-Hand Issues
Regarding the right-hand fingers, Roch mentions that the i, m, and a fingers should
be held quite close together and kept as close to the strings as possible. Pujol, more
thoroughly, discusses arpeggio playing in two sections: the first one is the ascending arpeggio
and the second one is the descending arpeggio. Let us discuss the ascending arpeggio first.
The common fingering to play a three-note ascending arpeggio is p-i-m. When playing an
ascending arpeggio, the fingers are not coming to rest on the adjacent string, which is called
a free stroke in the modern technique. Because free stroke playing will not stop other strings,
meaning the strings will keep vibrating, the notes are prolonged and the sound will sustain
longer than written. Example 20 shows the E-major chord in arpeggio. Although all the
three notes (E, G-sharp, B) are written in eighth-notes, the E will sound like a quarter and an
eighth-note in value, and the G-sharp will sound like a quarter-note.
Example 20: An E-Major Arpeggio on the Guitar
Interestingly, according to Pujol, the right-hand finger action will be slightly different
when playing a descending arpeggio. Instead of playing a free stroke (playing the note
without resting on an adjacent string), Pujol suggests playing a rest stroke with the note on
the highest string. Take Example 21 for instance. In the first measure, the E is on the first
string and the C is on the second string. Pujol suggests playing the open string E with a rest
stroke and the following C with a free stroke. In his opinion, when a piece is in a slow tempo,
53
and as long as a rest stroke will not affect the sound of an arpeggio, a rest stroke is better
than a free stroke “because resting on the next string is more comfortable and could be
more secure for the fingers.”72
Example 21: Pujol Exercise–Rest Stroke on the highest Note E
Actually, Roch also makes a similar statement regarding the a finger. In most cases,
the a finger is required to pluck the highest note in an arpeggio. Roch says accenting the
highest notes is a way to show “expression,” as it usually brings out the melody.73 He does
not say which stroke (free or rest), but usually a rest stroke can play louder than a free stroke.
However, in the modern approach, players will play both ascending and descending
arpeggios with a free stroke. In his book, Tennant quotes some arpeggio exercises from
Tárrega’s The Complete Technical Studies and indicates to “use free stroke with a full sound.”74
The current guitarist Richard Provost also thinks the arpeggio should be played with a free
stroke, and he divides arpeggio playing into two sections. The first movement is to prepare a
stroke, which means to put fingers on the required strings. The second movement is to
pluck the strings and “follow-through.” A follow-through is to push the string toward the
heel of the hand. This movement is “the same as a rest stroke except to miss the next

74 Tennant, 38.
54
string.”75 Therefore, comparing the School of Tárrega and the modern technique, the former
may advocate using a rest stroke on the highest note or in descending arpeggio, as long as it
will not compromise the sonority; the latter will still try to create a full sound by using a free
stroke. Using a rest stroke can secure the right-hand’s playing and create a more expressive
interpretation, but it will compromise the speed. Using a free stroke can help play fast and
keep the harmony ringing, but it demands practice to create a free stroke note sounded as
solid as a rest stroke note.
Arpeggio Playing in Tárrega’s Elementary and Advanced Studies
Tárrega’s elementary studies no. 2, 4, 8, and 24 and advanced studies no. 10 and 16
are associated with arpeggio playing. Example 22 is one of the most common formulas of
arpeggio playing: p-i-m. In this study, since the i finger of the right hand always plays on the
second string while the m finger always plays on the first string, the only concern will be the
placement of the right-hand thumb. The base line needs to be isolated for practice in the
beginning until the thumb can move to a different string without any difficulty.
Example 23 shows another common type of arpeggio playing: p-i-m-a. Compared to
Example 22, Example 23 will be more difficult because the i finger plays on the fourth string
75 Richard Provost, Classic Guitar Technique–Volume Two: Arpeggio Source Book (Bloomfield, CT: Professional
Guitar Publications, 1985), 4.
55
while the m finger plays on the second string. The purpose of this study is to expand the
distance between the i and m fingers of the right hand.
Examples 24a and 24b are taken from Tárrega’s elementary study no. 8. This piece
requires players to practice the arpeggio when the p and i fingers play simultaneously.
Tárrega arranges two different right-hand fingerings for practicing arpeggios: i-m-a and i-a-m-
a, and they are both common and useful in guitar playing. Example 25 is also written for the
same purpose of i-m-a arpeggios.
Example 24a: Tárrega’s Elementary Studies, No. 8, mm.1-4
Example 24b: Tárrega’s Elementary Studies, No. 8, mm.13-16
56
In Example 26, the purpose is to practice the arpeggio with the p and a fingers
playing simultaneously. Before discussing this example, it is necessary to state the sequential
planting technique first. Sequential planting is critical in the arpeggio playing of the modern
technique. This approach is based on basic principles of physiology and can develop a solid
technique.76 Unfortunately, it seems that the School of Tárrega did not develop the concept
of sequencing at its time; neither Pujol nor Roch had further discussion about this concept.
Sequential planting is preparing fingers on the strings to facilitate the playing of
arpeggios.77 The basic concept of sequential planting is to play a note and prepare the
following note at the same time. The right-hand movement is a routine. For example, in a p-
m-i fingering pattern, the finger preparation should be: as p plays, m plants; as m plays, i
plants; as i plays, p plants; as p plays, m plants, etc.
Sequential planting is also effective in solving a natural restriction: the independent
movement of the middle and ring fingers. Since there is only a single extensor muscle in the
middle and ring fingers, the movement of the a finger is limited. The tension will be
minimized when grouping the m and a fingers in an arpeggio.78 In other words, when an
76 Provost, Volume Two, 16.

77 Tennant, 78.
78
Provost, Volume Two, 17.
57
arpeggio is involved with the a finger of the right hand, sequential planting must be modified
somehow.
Tárrega’s advanced study no. 10 (Example 26) is a good example of a modified
sequential planting. In Example 26, the right-hand fingering is in a pattern of a-i-m.
Theoretically, the sequential planting of this piece should be: “as a plays, i plants; as i plays, m
plants; as m plays, a plants.” There will be a problem, however, in the movement “as m plays,
a plants.” As mentioned before, the a finger naturally tends to move with the m finger;79
therefore, in this study, a modified sequential planting should be applied as follows: as i plays,
m and a plant simultaneously. When this sequential planting is used in measure 1, after
playing the first note on the fourth beat (B) with the a finger on the first string, the a finger
should return to the first string exactly when the next note (G-sharp) is played by the i finger;
this returning movement of the a finger should not happen when the m finger plays the last
note (E) in the first measure. Although this is a very tiny change of the right-hand’s
movement, it will greatly improve the flow of arpeggio playing.
Example 26: Tárrega’s Advanced Studies, No. 10, mm. 1-2
79
Shearer, Part 1, 61.
58
In summary, one similarity between the School of Tárrega and modern technique is
the necessity of preparing the left hand. For a guitarist, playing an arpeggio is like playing a
blocked chord; it is critical to place every note of an arpeggio at the same time if applicable.
This principle can minimize left-hand movements, which is both important in scale and
arpeggio playing. The main difference is deciding which stroke should be applied on the
right hand. For the School of Tárrega, it is suggested to use a rest stroke on the highest notes
in a descending arpeggio while modern guitarists will use a free stroke both in descending
and ascending arpeggios. In addition, the School of Tárrega does not focus on the
preparation of the right hand while modern guitarists will use sequential planting to facilitate
arpeggio playing. Sometimes it is necessary to modify sequential planting to fit the natural
movement of the right-hand because m and a have the tendency to move together.
59
Blocked Chord Playing Based on the Pujol and Roch Books
Left-Hand Issues
Although a chord should contain at least three notes, theoretically, for Pujol and
Roch, it is necessary to first study a two-note chord in order to play a solid blocked chord. In
his book, Pujol designs exercises for two- and three- note chords. The main principle for the
left hand is to “place the fingers all at once and as close as possible to the frets.”80 In
Example 27a, the first half of the second measure (E and G-sharp) is usually fingered with 1
and 2 instead of 1 and 3. The reason to change the left-hand fingering is to allow the third
finger to be held for the following double-stop (B and E) in the same measure.
Example 27a: Pujol Exercise for Two-Note Chords
Example 27b: Pujol Exercise for Three-Note Chords
80 Pujol, Book 2, 108.
60
Pujol also reminds the players to take advantage of using guide fingers for changing
chords smoothly. In the last two measures of Example 27b after the fourth finger plays the
D at the third fret on the second string, it slides along the string to play the next note (F) of
the second chord at the sixth fret and the next note (E) at the fifth fret on the same second
string. This example shows the importance of the usage of a guide finger which improves
tone quality. The second to last measure could also be fingered in first position instead of
third position. When this measure is fingered in first position, the highest note of the last
chord will be the first open-string E; when the same measure is fingered in third position,
that E note will be played at the fifth fret on the second string. In the School of Tárrega, the
quality of sound has been one of the focuses, and the open-string E sounds brighter than the
second-string E. Moreover, since the melody is in the treble part, the melodic line will sound
more equal in terms of tone quality when these melodic notes are fingered on the same
string, which is the second string in this example. This example shows that the School of
Tárrega focuses on not only developing a solid technique but also a delicate interpretation.
In his book, Roch also designs the blocked chord from two-note and then three- and four-
note groups. The guide fingers are also mentioned.
The modern technique explains more details about chord changing in regard to the
left hand. Similar to Pujol, Quine agrees that “a guide finger or fingers will help to stabilize
the hand as well as making the change more legato.”81 Besides this idea, Quine also offers
another way to make the chord-changing easier. A general rule which has been accepted for
many years states that the hand must be kept as parallel to the edge of the fingerboard as
81 Quine, 57.
61
possible. However, sometimes this principle will be hard to follow if a chord change is as
difficult as Example 28.
Example 28: A Difficult Chord Change
In Example 28, the second D-major chord is perfect for the left hand to hold parallel
to the fingerboard because each finger presses on one fret (low D at fifth fret; F-sharp at
fourth fret; A at second fret, and high D at third fret). The first chord is hardly easy for the
left hand to play parallel to the fingerboard because the E-flat and C both press on the first
fret (different string). When playing these two chords, “an adjustment of the arm-to-
fingerboard angles is necessary.”82 Applying this principle to this chord change, the left-hand
movement will be executed as follows: when playing the first chord, the back of the hand
will be brought to an angle of about forty-five degrees toward the head of the guitar and
then a pure arm movement without wrist distortion will help transition to the next D-major
chord. In general, comparing the School of Tárrega and to the modern technique, both Pujol
and Roch focus on keeping the left hand as parallel as possible, but they do not tell us how
to solve some chord changes when it is naturally impossible to keep the left hand parallel to
the fingerboard. Pujol even mentions that moving the fingers when changing position
“should not be allowed to affect the position of the hand or of the arm.”83 Actually, by
82 Quine, 58.
62
slightly changing the position of the left-hand and taking advantage of a pure arm movement,
some difficult chord changes become more natural.
Right-Hand Issues
In the Pujol book, the very first task is to make sure all the notes are sounded
perfectly and simultaneously. As Pujol suggests, a blocked chord should be played with a
free stroke; otherwise, “if a player touches a string which ought to be vibrating, its harmonic
effect will be cancelled.” 84 Pujol also reminds us that the right-hand fingers should be
placed near the strings and the end joints should be bent toward the interior of the hand.
Example 29 shows the position of the right-hand fingers before and after playing a blocked
chord.
Example 29: Pujol–Right-Hand Position Before and After Playing A Chord
The point-of-view of the modern technique needs further explanation. First,
although both Roch and Pujol demand quality sound, modern players will not intentionally
bend the end joint (tip joint) toward the inside of the hand to acquire a better sound. What
should be used to create an attractive sound is the knuckle joint. Among tip, middle, and
63
knuckle joints, the strongest joint is the knuckle joint. The movement for the right hand to
play blocked chords is similar to making a fist or gripping something. To grip something
with the tip joint is weak, so playing blocked chords should not involve the tip joint only.
Besides, since the tip joint is not the main resource for playing blocked chords, it should
remain as free from tension as possible.85 Example 29 seems to lead to misunderstandings
that one should play blocked chords with the tip joint and then curve the fingers after
playing; from the modern approach, what should be used is the knuckle joint and when
finishing a chord, the right-hand should relax right away.
After clarifying the right-hand movement, another consideration is the fingerings.
There are several ways to play blocked chords according to every player’s unique
interpretation. This situation will be different when a blocked chord contains more than four
notes. In general, a four-note chord should be played with the thumb, index, middle, and
ring fingers (p-i-m-a) together. When a blocked chord contains more than four notes, the
thumb will usually play the bottom two or three strings at the same time and the i-m-a will
play the higher strings. If a player would like to create a sound that has a harp-like effect, the
p, i, or m finger could strike the consecutive strings from the lower string to the higher string
or vice versa. Sometimes a melody will appear in the top, middle, or bottom part of a series
of blocked chords; it is important to build the technique to bring out the melodic part when
necessary. Example 30 shows the notation of a harp-like blocked chord and its right-hand
fingering.86 In general, like Pujol and Roch suggest, the strings of a blocked chord should be
85 Quine, 17.
86 Pascual Roch, A Modern Method for the Guitar–School of Tárrega, Volume Two (New York, NY: G. Schirmer, Inc.,
1917), 80.
64
basically sounded simultaneously. A harp- or arpeggio-like chord will be played when a
composer notates on his music or when a player wants to emphasize a chord according to
his own interpretation.
Example 30: Roch Exercise–Notation and the Right-Hand Fingering of Blocked Chords
Blocked Chords Playing in Tárrega’s Elementary and Advanced Studies
Since blocked chords usually contain at least three notes, if applicable, the guide
finger and pivot finger will be used to lessen the difficulty of the movement of the left hand.
The pivot fingers are marked in Example 31.
When playing a passage of blocked chords, it might be more difficult to play the
music smoothly and connectedly because of the busy movements of the left hand.
According to Pujol, “the left hand is able to contribute to the prolongation of the sounds of
65
one or more notes and give them greater intensity by means of vibrato.”87 A vibrato is
created when a note or notes is/are positioned at a given fret and the finger(s) make(s) a
motion from left to right without diminishing the pressure. Since the open-string notes
cannot produce the vibrato effect, in Tárrega’s music, some notes are fingered with another
position so a player could use vibrato on those notes belonging to lyrical melodies. In
Example 32, the melody belongs to the highest notes among the blocked chords so that
players need more attention on those notes. From mm. 2 to 3, the melodic line goes from E
to F: the E is fingered with third finger on the second string, instead of the first open-string
E, and the F is fingered with the second finger on the second string, instead of the first
finger on the first string. It is believed that this fingering arrangement is made for the
purpose of improving the continuity of melody. In addition, the tempo of this study is Lento,
which is very slow; the sound of the guitar disappears relatively quickly and a vibrato can
definitely prolong the value of a note.
66
Example 33 shows another example of Tárrega’s preference of using fretted notes
instead of open string notes on block chords. The two chords in the first measure are
fingered in the fifth position (C. 5). Actually, these two chords can also be played in first
position (C. 1) which may be easier and closer for playing the following measure (the
distance between the C. 5 to C. 2 is greater than the distance between C.1 to C. 2). The only
reason that can explain this fingering arrangement is the vibrato effect. Theoretically,
because of the amplitude of a string, the strings are stiff at lower frets, so the vibrato there is
almost inefficient.88 Although the first A-major chord can be done with a vibrato, it is more
reasonable to play these two chords in the fifth position to create a more noticeable vibrato.
A vibrato is an expressive device, but there must be musical taste and good sense in use, like
Tárrega’s Example 33.
The guide finger and pivot finger have been mentioned and discussed frequently in
this study; by using them correctly, some chord changes will become much easier. In
Tárrega’s advanced studies, he uses the guide finger most wisely. It is a fact that sometimes a
88 Duncan, 93.
67
guitarist cannot find guide fingers or pivot fingers in a passage, but it is also true that
sometimes there are several choices for which finger is to be the guide or pivot finger. When
there is more than one choice of a guide finger in a blocked chord passage, Tárrega usually
chooses one that belongs to the melody. Since the pivot and guide fingers are not entirely off
the strings, which allows for connecting two consecutive notes without any break, one of
them should be chosen for connecting the melody. In Example 34, the fourth finger is
extensively used for a guide finger from mm. 1 to 3. Actually, there are some notes that can
be held for the use of guide fingers, such as the E in the middle part and the E on the bass
part. It is impossible for every finger of a blocked-chord section to be a guide finger, except
with the parallel shift (the same fingerings switch from one position to another), so it is the
player’s responsibility to decide where the melody is and try to arrange a fingering that can
solve the technical problem musically.
68
In Example 35, since this piece is basically all blocked chords and no lyric-like
melody can be found, it appears that this piece should not be very slow. When a piece is in a
faster tempo, it is less common to use vibratos and, that seems be the reason why Tárrega
fingers many blocked chords with open string notes, such as B and E. Besides, since the
highest note is the melody, Tárrega chooses the first finger as the guide finger from mm. 6 to
9 for connecting the melody.
In summary, since blocked chords contain many notes, they increase the
complication of the left-hand fingerings. Using more guide fingers and pivot fingers will help
to decrease the difficulty. If possible, it is necessary to use the pivot and guide fingers on the
melodic part, which helps the melody sound more legato. In addition, sometimes it is also a
helpful solution to play melodic notes with the vibrato technique. An impressive vibrato can
not only prolong the value of notes but can also create a charming sound, which fits
perfectly in music with a slow tempo. There are so many possibilities when deciding the
fingerings or vibratos for guitar music. Tárrega usually chooses the ones that are the most
musical.
69
Barré Technique Based on the Pujol and Roch Books
The focus of the barré technique is the left hand. A barré indicates that a player
should press several strings at once with the index finger of the left hand at a single fret.
Other fingers such as the little finger could be used for a barré but it is very rare. The shapes
of people’s index fingers vary; they are not completely straight or flat because of the
knuckles. Therefore, Pujol suggests to “press the strings with the side of the index” for the
barré technique.89
In his book, Roch also reminds players that the “finger must be held perfectly
straight, the wrist bent, and the hand well arched.”90 In his opinion the barré technique needs
to be practiced in combination with other techniques so his barring exercises employ
arpeggio playing, scale playing, and tremolo playing. In Example 36, Roch designs the barré
technique in an arpeggio with the p-i-m-a-m-i fingering and the player is encouraged to
practice this fingering pattern by ascending a half-step.
Example 36: Roch Exercise–Barré Technique with an Arpeggio

70
In his book, Pujol designs the barré technique with the alternation between the right-
hand fingerings: i-m and m-a. He also suggests reversing this exercise by changing the right-
hand fingering to m-i and a-m, which will become very useful in both barré technique and
string crossing.
Example 37: Pujol Exercise–Barré Technique with the Right-Hand Alternation
Since the barré technique is more advanced and may be difficult for beginners, both
Pujol and Roch remind students to take a rest when the left-hand finger becomes tired and
stiff. The pressure will be more effective if a thumb is placed in a correct location. According
to Pujol, the location of the left-hand thumb is very important because “the pressure of the
barré must be counterbalanced by the left-hand thumb.”91 Roch also mentions that the
thumb should “support itself precisely on its tip, somewhat below the middle of the neck,
but never at the junction of the two joints.”92
The modern technique has different opinions about the location of the thumb.
According to Quine, the thumb needs to be placed lower on the guitar neck and to be
perfectly straight at both joints (Example 38). He thinks the most effective barré will be
made when a grip happens between the thumb and fingers. Sometimes keeping the elbow

71
away from the side, and the wrist forward, will ensure a clear barré chord.93 It is hard to
judge which theory is better but it is generally accepted that other finger adjustments are
required to master a barré.
Example 38: Left-Hand Thumb Position of a Barré Chord Suggested By Quine
Barré Technique in Tárrega’s Elementary and Advanced Studies
In Tárrega’s elementary studies, numbers 8, 12 and 23 are designed for practicing the
barré technique. Elementary study no. 8 (Example 39) is designed for barré technique and a
combination of an arpeggio. For the left hand, it requires players to barré the top four strings.
For the right hand, players need to play an arpeggio first with the i-m-a fingering. Since this is
an ascending arpeggio, as discussed in a previous section, the School of Tárrega will play this
study with a free stroke style so that the sonority will not be compromised. In the second
half of this study, the i-m-a arpeggio pattern is replaced by another fingering pattern: i-a-m-a.
93 Quine, 64.
72
Example 39: Tárrega’s Elementary Studies, No. 8, mm. 5 -16
Elementary study no. 12 (Example 40) is designed for barré technique with a focus
on repeated notes. In regard to the repeated notes, both the fingerings of i-m-i or p-i-p are
suitable in this piece. For the treble part, according to the principles of the School of Tárrega,
the top quarter-note should be played with a rest stroke. This is because the quarter-note is
the melody and a rest stroke is usually louder than a free stroke; besides, in most cases, when
melodic notes and repeated notes are not on the adjacent string, a rest stroke will not
influence the sonority. From the modern point of view, it is not wrong to play the quarter-
note with a free stroke.
73
Elementary study no. 23 (Example 41a and 41b) is designed for barré technique with
blocked chords. Similar to the Example 40, a rest stroke is suggested for playing the melody
from the School of Tárrega’s point of view. Also, the guide finger is used from the third beat
to the fourth beat in the first measure (Example 41a). The right-hand fingering needs to be
mentioned in measure 14 (Example 41b). Not surprisingly, Tárrega uses a barré fingering
instead of an open string E on the third beat; this allows: (1) the whole melodic line of this
measure to be played on the second string, (2) the second finger to function as a guide finger,
and (3) a vibrato to be used.
Example 41a: Tárrega’s Elementary Studies, No. 23, mm. 1-2
Example 41b: Tárrega’s Elementary Studies, No. 23, mm. 13-14
In Tárrega’s advanced studies, number 10 and 16 are also written for the purpose of
barring. Number 10 combines barring with the arpeggio technique and number 16 combines
it with the slur technique. Number 10 was already discussed in Example 27 in regard to
sequential planting, and number 16 will be discussed in the next section regarding the slur
technique. In the above examples, for the School of Tárrega, the barré technique seems to
74
simply train the strength of the fingers instead of explaining more details. Roch offers some
fingering patterns and suggests practicing them in both descending and ascending order.
Similarly, Pujol emphasizes that the barré technique is very important for harmonic sonority,
so it requires practice. In Tárrega’s advanced study number 10 (Example 42), players are
required to perform series of barré chords almost all the time for the first eight measures,
which is quite challenging even for an advanced student.
It cannot be denied that more practice can improve the barré technique regarding
the strength of the fingers, but there are also other strategies that can improve the barré
technique. One of the strategies is being selective, according to Tennant.94 Being selective
94 Tennant, 23.
75
means figuring out exactly which notes underneath the finger need to sound. Sometimes a
full barré is notated but perhaps only the top and the bottom notes need to be played; or,
sometimes a half barré is enough instead of a full barré. It is unfortunate but true that most
editions of guitar music make no distinction between a four-, five-, or six-string barré. What
we can find in Tárrega’s music is only the notations of a full barré (Example 42) or a half
barré (Example 43).
Example 43: Notations of a Half Barré
The tiny difference between a four-, five-, and six-string barré will affect the
difficulty level because players need to avoid dead spaces on the finger, such as the
indentation between the tip and middle segments. Because of this, according to Duncan, if
possible, it is better to “use a five- or four-string barré rather than a full barré.”95 Therefore,
Example 44, which is the same as Example 42 but with modified fingerings, is another
option to avoid the intensive playing of a full barré while still keeping the harmonic sonority.
In order to clarify how many strings need to be held, the “2/6 C.5” means playing the fifth
position with a two-string barré, and the “5/6 C.7” means playing the seventh position with
the five-string barré. These modifications include: (1) In measure 1, it is not necessary to play
with a barré until the second measure; (2) The third finger functions as a guide finger from
the last note (E) in measure 2 to the D-sharp in measure 3; (3) A three-string barré is suitable
95 Duncan, 18.
76
for measure 4 and a four-string barré for measure 5; (4) The first half can be played without
a barré; (5) A four-string barré is fine for measure 7, and it is not necessary to play with a
barré in measure 8. It is a fact that the answer to ‘How many strings constitute the most
comfortable barré?’ varies according to the individual; there are many elements such as the
sizes of the hands and the strength and the length of the fingers that will make this question
complicated. Example 44 is one of the possibilities, and the main purpose of this fingering is
to avoid too much tension caused by a series of barré chords.
Example 44: Tárrega’s Advanced Studies, No.10, mm. 1-8, with Modified Fingerings
77
In summary, the School of Tárrega combines the barré technique with other
technical issues, such as alternating between right-hand fingerings, blocked chords, arpeggios,
and slurs. It is true that the index finger of the left hand will become stronger through more
practicing, but it is also true that over-practicing can cause injury. In order to find a balance
between these two situations, players need to find out how many strings really need to be
held. It is important to be aware of what is more effective rather than just increasing strength
without any other purposes.
78
Slur Technique Based on the Pujol and Roch Books
The word “slur” in Western musical notation means a manner of joining different
successive notes or a prolongation of combining two notes. In guitar music, slur usually
means playing two consecutive notes by the left hand only. Slurs can be ascending,
descending, or combined. Double stops are also applicable for slurring. According to Pujol,
the slur is important in guitar technique because “it gives greater facility in playing, as well as
flexibility and expression to the musical nuances and phrases.”96 These advantages will be
discussed thoroughly later.
Example 45: Pujol Exercise–Slurs: Ascending, Descending and Combination
An ascending slur happens after playing the first note and when the second note is
sounded by the left-hand finger coming down with some force on the next desired fret. This
movement is like using a hammer so an ascending slur is also called a “hammer-on.” When
playing ascending slurs, Pujol reminds players to make sure each finger falls onto the fret
79
“with some force and right up against the fret.”97 There are no obvious differences between
the School of Tárrega and the modern technique; a quote from Quine is another practical
reminder of playing an ascending slur: “It is especially important that the tip joint of the
finger is perpendicular and accuracy matters more than strength.”98
A descending slur happens after playing the first note and when the second note is
sounded by the left-hand finger plucking the string. A descending slur is also called a “pull-
off.” According to Pujol, the main principle of playing descending slurs is to place all the
left-hand fingers in advance. When plucking a descending slurred note, remember to pull the
string toward to the next string, and the finger should come to rest on the next adjacent
string.99 In the descending slur of Example 43, therefore, the first finger should be placed at
the first fret on the third string (G-sharp) at the same time as the second finger is placed at
the second fret on the third string (A). Right after sounding the G-sharp, the second finger
should rest on the second string. Both modern guitarists Quine and Tennant call it a kind of
left-hand rest stroke.100 Roch has a similar opinion to Pujol’s; Example 46 is taken from the
Roch book, and it focuses on different right-hand fingering on the same triplets.101 While the
left-hand fingerings keep changing (2-1-2, 3-2-3, and 4-3-4), the right-hand fingering (m-i)
needs alternation as well. Overall, the principles of playing ascending, descending, and
combinations of slurs are positively accepted by the modern technique.

98 Quine, 66.
100 Quine, 66 and Tennant, 14.
101 Pascual Roch, A Modern Method for the Guitar–School of Tárrega, Volume Three (New York, NY: G. Schirmer,
Inc., 1917), 3.
80
Example 46: Roch Slur Exercise
Slur Technique in Tárrega’s Elementary and Advanced Studies
Tárrega’s elementary study no.1 (Example 47) is written for improving scale and slur
technique. Although the right hand does not need to play the slurred notes, it is still
necessary to alternate the right-hand fingerings for the following non-slurred note, which is i-
m in Example 47.
Elementary study no. 19 (Example 48) combines the barré technique with the slur
technique. The slur combined with a barré is difficult to play because more stress needs to
be focused on the barré. The guide finger and pivot are still widely used. From mm. 10 to 11
in Example 48, the half-note C-sharp in the second beat in measure 10 is held by the second
finger and functions as a pivot finger for the second eighth-note in measure 11. The third
finger functions as a guide finger moving from A to F-sharp in the bass part.
81
Before moving to Tárrega’s advanced studies, it is necessary to explain why Pujol
says: “slur gives greater facility in playing, as well as flexibility and expression to the musical
nuances and phrases.”102 From the technical point-of-view, the slur could have three main
advantages: improving smoothness in note transitions, increasing speed, and avoiding
awkward string crossing by the right hand.
Slurred notes can improve the speed and the legato of playing because most of the
notes of guitar will be sounded by the co-ordination of both hands, except the six open-
string notes. The coordination is extremely important but also difficult to be achieved
perfectly since the right and the left hand should touch the string exactly at the same time. If
slightly early actions or delays of either the left or right hand occur, the legato sound will
disappear. According to Quine, “with a well-developed left-hand technique, the transition
from note to note will be even smoother.”103 Example 49 shows Tárrega’s idea of adding

103 Quine, 65.
82
slurs. Without these slurs, the piece still can be performed but with more difficulty especially
in rapid passages.
In addition, Example 49 is also an example of slurring that can make musical phrases
more expressive. Observed carefully, Tárrega arranges these slurs not only symmetrically but
also rhythmically. Measures 33 and 36 are similar to the 1-4 left-hand fingerings and broken
chords while measures 34 and 37 are both descending scale passages. Adding slurs on the
same beat in similar musical phrases will reinforce the musical structure of a piece; it tells the
audience how musical motives are organized by a composer and how they are presented by a
performer. Therefore, by using slurs wisely, one can not only solve some technical problems
but also convey a deeper understanding of a piece.
Although there are many advantages to the slur technique, it has its limitations.
According to Duncan, there is a slight difference in volume between the plucked note and
slurred note. If a plucked note is sounded by a rest stroke, the difference will be more
obvious. When slurred notes are used properly, “their place in melodic phrasing may be
83
likened to that of syllable stress in speech.”104 There are many choices for guitarists to
consider when deciding to slur or not. These elements include the character of the music,
the technical problems, and the style of the historical period.
Advanced study no. 16 is a great study for the third technical advantage of slurring:
to avoid awkward string crossing. This piece is written in arpeggio figure and it is very
common to have many awkward string crossings. There are few ways to solve this problem.
As mentioned in the scale and arpeggio sections, the first way is to change the right-hand
fingering: the a finger is usually fingered for higher-string notes. Second, more careful
practice will make the player get accustomed to the awkward string crossing. The third way is
to use slur technique. Since the slurred notes are played with the left hand only, an awkward
string crossing may not happen because the right hand is not even involved. If a slurred note
is involved in an awkward string crossing, at least it can decrease the difficulty by repeating
the right-hand fingering intentionally. This sentence sounds somewhat like a contradiction
because it has been repeatedly emphasized that the alternation between fingers is one of the
main principles of guitar playing. Just like walking relies on the alternation from one foot to
the other, playing should rely on the alternation among fingers.105 In this walking metaphor,
if a person stops for a second and then resumes walking, it does not matter which foot he
moves first. Similarly, a repeated fingering may be temporarily allowed because there is a
short pause for the right hand when a note is slurred.
The above description will be clearer by explaining Examples 50a, 50b and 50c.
Example 50a is the first two measures of Tárrega’s original elementary study no. 16.
104 Duncan, 87.
105 Quine, 18.
84
Example 50b is the same passage re-fingered with all the slurs taken off. According to
Tárrega’s fingering in this piece, the a finger usually plays the highest notes in a measure and
p usually plays the bass notes and other notes on the bottom three strings, which are general
right-hand fingering principles. In Example 50a, the a finger (circled in the example) is
repeated occasionally, and usually one of the repeated a fingering is combined with a slur.
This fingering is not perfect but works pretty well. On the other hand, in Example 50b, since
there are no slurred notes, there will be many unnatural and awkward string crossings
(bracketed in the example). For example, the p needs to be played on consecutive notes
(underlined in the example). The more repeated fingerings are used, the more unnatural a
passage will be for players’ fingers physically and the slower the speed.
Example 50a: Tárrega’s Advanced Studies, No. 16, mm.1-2–Original
Example 50b: Tárrega’s Advanced Studies, No. 16, mm.1-2–Without Slurs
Although Tárrega’s original fingering is already quite natural for the right-hand, it is
still possible to finger these two measures, as shown in Example 50c, without repeating any
85
right-hand fingering and without any string crossing as long as the p is sometimes fingered
for the notes on the third string. The location of the slurs remains unchanged; the only
difference is that the p-i-m replaces the i-m-a fingering pattern. In general, the p plays on the
bottom three strings, but it is not wrong either to finger the p on higher strings. The only
minor issue of this fingering is the balance of the volume. According to Quine, since the
thumb is the hand’s strongest digit, it is capable of “a much more forceful stroke than the
fingers.”106 That is also why the p usually plays the bass for a louder and stronger harmonic
support. In Example 50c, the p sometimes plays the melody, and it might cause uneven
volume in the treble part because the p is stronger than i, m, and a for a critical listener.
Example 50c: Tárrega’s Advanced Studies, No. 16, mm.1-2–Re-fingered
Another advanced study, no. 15 (Example 51), is also a good example for arranging
the right hand. It is a pity that there is no left- and right-hand fingering marked in the
original music; only a few slurs are notated. In order to offer more information about slur
fingerings, a fingered edition is presented in Example 51 according to the following
principles: (1) have the right-hand a finger play the highest note(s), (2) avoid awkward string
crossing if possible, (3) avoid repeated right-hand fingering if possible, and (4) add slurs
consistently in similar phrases. In the second beat of the second measure, although there is a
106 Quine, 30.
86
string crossing (i-m), it is more acceptable because the slurred notes (D to B) allow time for
the right hand to move from the second string to the third string.
Example 51: Tárrega’s Advanced Studies, No. 15, mm.1-6 – Right-Hand Fingerings Added
In summary, the slur has more advantages than disadvantages when a note is slurred
with good musical sense. First, it improves the speed. Second, it helps the smoothness of the
music. The first two improvements will be effective when a slur technique is developed and
executed correctly. Third, it can avoid the awkward string crossing of the right hand. A
repeated finger may be temporarily allowed because there is a pause for the right hand. In
addition, when slurs are added with regular metric figures, which are consistent with the
sense of phrase, both performers and listeners will comprehend a piece thoroughly.
Therefore, when slurs are added properly, it can not only solve playing problems but create a
more musical interpretation. It can be over-used, on the other hand, because slurred notes
are usually weaker than non-slurred notes and may result in an improper interpretation.
87
Harmonics, Pizzicato, and Tremolo Techniques Based on the Pujol and Roch Books
Scale, arpeggio, blocked chords, barré, and slur techniques are the important
fundamental elements in guitar playing. There are other special effects that the guitar can
produce, such as harmonics, pizzicato, tambora, ponticello, dolce, glissando, portamento,
golpe, rasgueado, and tremolo.107 Only harmonics is discussed at length in the Roch and
Pujol books. Pizzicato and tremolo appear in Tarregas studies.
Harmonics
A harmonic is a chime-like overtone produced when one finger lightly touches a
string at certain points (nodes) and plucking it with another finger.108 Harmonics have two
types: natural and artificial harmonics. The acoustic theory of harmonics is to change the
number of vibrations per second of a string.109 Few illustrations from the Pujol books are
helpful in understanding natural harmonics. Picture 1 of Example 52 is simply the length of
a string. If a node is created at the twelfth fret (Picture 2), which is the half of the string, it
doubles the number of vibrations per second and raises the fundamental sound by an octave.
In Picture 3, nodes are created at the seventh and nineteenth fret, which are one-third of a
string, it triples the number of vibrations and the string sounds an octave and a fifth above
its fundamental note. When the number of vibrations quadruples (Picture 4), the nodes are
created on the fifth fret, and the string sounds two octaves higher. There are more nodes of
107
Christopher Parkening, The Christopher Parkening Guitar Method, Volume Two (Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard
Corporation, 1997), 47.
108 Ibid., 21.
88
a string; what commonly used for natural harmonics on the guitar are fifth-, seventh-, and
twelfth-fret notes.
Example 52: Natural Harmonics
In order to produce a natural harmonic, a left-hand finger is placed lightly in contact
with the string at one of its nodal points. When the string is plucked by a right-hand finger,
the left-hand finger is immediately removed from the string. It does not really matter which
right-hand finger is used to pluck the string, but Pujol advised “to pluck close the bridge,
where the harmonics are clearest.”110 In general, for a clearer harmonic, plucking the string
closer to the bridge will avoid the node.
It is also common to have two-note or three-note natural harmonics at the same
time. In these cases, Roch reminds performers to keep the left-hand fingers straight so the
harmonics will sound clear.111 This position is similar to the playing of a barré chord.
111 Roch, Volume Two, 56.
89
Instead of really pressing the strings down, the finger is lightly in contact with the string. In
general, the index and fourth fingers of the left hand are commonly used for two-note or
three-note natural harmonics.
Example 53: Roch Exercise of Harmonics of Two and Three Notes
Natural harmonics utilize the natural nodes of the vibrating string while artificial
harmonics take advantage of a node midway between the bridge and the fret in which the
string is played. Since a midway-node doubles the number of vibrations and produces the
second partial which is an octave higher, artificial harmonics are also called octave harmonics.
In order to produce an artificial harmonic, the right-hand finger will divide the string in half
and pluck. For example, if one wants to play an artificial harmonic notated on the F (at the
first fret on the first string), the right-hand finger should be positioned at the thirteenth fret
on the first string. In order to produce an artificial harmonic, the left finger will be placed at
the desired fret while the right hand is required to do two things at the same time: in general,
the i finger will divide the string in half lightly touching the string. Then the p or a fingers
pluck. Pujol’s figure (Example 54) illustrates the right-hand position.
90
Example 54: Right-Hand Position When Playing an Artificial Harmonic
In his book, Pujol first suggests being familiar with the natural harmonics on the
fingerboard and then moves to the artificial harmonics. When an artificial harmonic is
played with the a finger, the thumb then is free to play the bass part. He designs some
exercises for this purpose. In Example 55, the harmonics in the first measure are natural
harmonics since it is indicated on open-string position. The first harmonic in the second
measure is artificial and indicated to play on the fourteenth fret. Similar short exercises can
be found in the Roch book too.
Example 55: Artificial Harmonics with the Thumb Plucking Simultaneously
Pizzicato
The pizzicato effect on the guitar is similar to the pizzicato on the violin. The
pizzicato on the violin is plucked by finger instead of bow, which creates a fleshier and more
muted sound. A classical guitar is always played by the fingers so the muted sound must be
91
created by changing the right-hand position. Roch carefully describes the pizzicato position:
“players lay the outer edge of the right hand partly over the bridge and partly over the strings;
the little finger rests on the soundboard with its last joint, not merely the tip.”112 The modern
technique does not require the little finger to rest on the soundboard; it merely hangs freely.
Interestingly enough, there is no information regarding pizzicato playing in the Pujol books.
Tremolo
Tremolo literally means a rapid repetition of the same note. In classical guitar, it
generally refers to a rapid repetition on the treble while the bass part offers harmonic
support, giving an illusion of two instruments playing together.113 Interestingly, Tárrega
composed several pieces in tremolo. One of the most famous pieces is Recuerdos de la
Alhambra, but there is no specific tremolo section discussed in the Pujol and Roch books.
What can be found in the Pujol book is a repeated four- note figure with a bass line
(Example 56). In Example 56 Pujol recommends using two kinds of right-hand fingerings
for the treble part: i-m-a-m and a-m-i-m.114 Since tremolo requires fast right-hand finger
alternation and three-finger alternation is usually faster than two-finger alternation in
repeated notes, adding the a finger will increase the speed. Therefore, a typical tremolo is a
bass note combined with three sixteenth- or thirty-second notes. The modern technique will
normally be fingered p-a-m-i. It is also possible to play the tremolo with other right-hand
fingering as long as the repetition is even and not too slow.
112 Roch, Volume Two, 75.

113 Parkening, Volume Two, 46.
92
Example 56: Pujol Exercise–Tremolo-Like
Pizzicato, Harmonics, and Tremolo Techniques in Tárrega’s Studies
Since pizzicato, harmonics, and tremolo techniques belong to the special sound
effects in guitar playing, there are no specific elementary studies written for harmonics,
pizzicato, and, tremolo. However, advanced study no. 18 is written for the purpose of
pizzicato, and no. 21 contains a section with intensive artificial harmonics and tremolo. As
mentioned before, there is not enough information in the Pujol and Roch books, so modern
techniques will be visited and applied for a thorough understanding of Tárrega’s studies.
Advanced study no. 18 demands a highly developed pizzicato technique. In general,
pizzicato is used in a few phrases or a few notes. This playing will be a problem when a
section contains normal tones and pizzicato sections at the same time; an example would be
when the treble is a normal blocked chord when there is a pizzicato bass line. Since moving
the right hand to the bridge will change the sound of every note, normal pizzicato playing
cannot be applied. However, it is possible to create a pizzicato-like sound by playing the bass
line with the flesh of the thumb and mute the note as soon as possible. According to
93
Parkening, one of the principal pupils of Andrés Segovia, Segovia once created a pizzicato-
like sound by using the back portion of the thumb for instant dampening of the bass
string.115 The timbre of the sound could be different by changing the way of striking a string,
which could be nail only and flesh only. Plucking the bass with the flesh will create a muffled
sound, which is quite similar to the pizzicato. In Example 57, the treble is blocked chords
and the pizzicato is marked in the beginning of the piece. It is fine to play the whole piece all
in a normal pizzicato position; however, when a piece sounds muted all the time, there is no
special moment, for pizzicato should be used for a surprising sound effect. Therefore, for
advanced students, it is suggested that only the bass line is needed to play with pizzicato
technique.
Advanced study no. 21 is a study that contains blocked chords, artificial harmonics,
and tremolo techniques. The artificial harmonic section appears in measures 39 to 55. In
these measures, the harmonics function as the main melody and are written in the bottom
part. Since a harmonic is usually softer than a played note, it is important to make sure the
115 Parkening, Volume Two, 44.
94
harmonics are clearly heard. As mentioned before, an artificial harmonic is produced when
the index finger lightly touches on the string while another finger (usually the thumb or the
ring finger) plucks the string. It is recommended to play the harmonics with the right-hand
thumb instead of the ring finger for a clearer tone quality. In the modern approach, which is
the flesh-nail combination, a squeak will occur when the nail touches the bottom three
strings because they are wound with metal. If an artificial harmonic happens on the top three
strings (nylon), a squeak will not happen. Additionally, the thumb does not produce a squeak
as loud as the fingers do because the nail of thumb is parallel with the string while the nails
of fingers touch the string at a angle. In this case, since the artificial harmonics in Example
58 are all written in the bottom strings, it is necessary to pluck the strings with the thumb, if
a player uses the flesh-nail playing style. It may be not matter which finger is used for those
players who play without nails.
95
The second half of advanced study no. 21 is written for tremolo (Example 59).
As mentioned before, a good tremolo will create the illusion for the audience that
there are two instruments playing together. Psychologically, this illusion makes the melody
seem to be constantly sustained; the key to this illusion is the evenness of articulation.116 In
order to create an even articulation, one should simply think of four notes, instead of
dividing tremolo into the thumb plus the three notes. In general, practicing with slower
staccato makes it sound extremely smooth when played quickly. Another modern guitarist
Richard Provost also reminds players to be aware of the following points: sound quality, the
balance of fingers, and sequential planting, which are the keys to an even tremolo117.
In summary, both the natural and artificial harmonics are quite common in Tárrega’s
advanced studies while the pizzicato and tremolo techniques are not emphasized that much.
It is not surprising because the pizzicato is used for adding sound effects, and the tremolo is
an advanced skill that cannot be learned in a short period of time. It is true that the scale,
arpeggio, blocked chord, barré and slur techniques are more crucial and fundamental
116 Tennant, 56.

117 Provost, Volume Two, 98.
96
concepts in guitar playing, but harmonics, pizzicato, and tremolo are also important for
adding special sound effects. Although Pujol and Roch did not discuss tremolo, the modern
technique offers more principles which are helpful when learning these special techniques in
Tárrega’s advanced studies.
Overall, chapter four discusses fundamental concepts such as scale, arpeggio,
blocked chords, barré, and slur technique as well as special techniques such as harmonics,
pizzicato, and tremolo from the School of Tárrega’s point of view. The modern approaches
are also offered for comparison. In order to guide guitar students into having a more
complete idea about how and what to practice, it may be practical to have a snapshot of
Tárrega’s elementary and advanced studies. Although all these studies have their own
advantages, it will be more effective if students can devote time to a few of them for
overcoming specific technical problem. Please see the appendix for a brief review of
Tárrega’s studies.
97
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
Tárrega, who set the modern playing position based on Torres’ guitar, and two of his
outstanding students, Pujol and Roch, who individually wrote three volumes of method
books, are the foundation of the School of Tárrega. It is a pity that Tárrega kept performing,
composing, and giving lessons but did not write his own methods. The only way to fully
comprehend Tárrega’s thirty elementary-level studies and twenty-five intermediate- and
advanced-level studies is to refer back to the Pujol and Roch books. In addition, it is
important to compare the principles between the School of Tárrega and modern guitar
technique. Although not every principle of the School of Tárrega is completely adopted by
current guitarists, most of the concepts are still positive and practical with a few
modifications.
For the sitting and playing position, a footstool was adapted by Tárrega and has been
accepted by modern players. In addition to the footstool, a guitar support is also used by
modern players for placing two feet directly on the floor. The main difference in playing
position between the School of Tárrega and the modern player is that the former will keep
the right-hand fingers perpendicular to the strings while the latter will have the fingers touch
the strings at a slight angle. The School of Tárrega also tends to make the left- and right-
hand wrists arched while modern players will keep both wrists relatively straight so that the
tendons inside the carpal tunnels can move freely without tension.
After exploring the basic ideas of the School of Tárrega, Tárrega’s thirty elementary
and twenty-five advanced studies were analyzed. Since these studies are designed for the
specific technical issues, it is more effective to study them in groups according to similar
technical focuses instead of the published order. The first discussed issue is scale playing. In
general, the left-hand fingers should be positioned in advance in descending passages.
Sometimes the left-hand finger(s) should be held for the following note(s) to minimize finger
movements, if possible. Arrangement of the right-hand fingering is extremely important in
scale playing and it has been a central focus in this paper. In order to execute a scale passage
without much difficulty, it is necessary to alternate the right-hand fingers, such as the i-m or
m-i alternations as recommended by the School of Tárrega. Avoiding an awkward string
crossing is always tricky and full of many possible solutions. When ascending, the a finger is
usually used for the highest note. Some modern players may use the p on higher strings
though the different volume between fingers and thumb might be an issue for critical
listeners.
Arpeggio playing on the guitar is somewhat different from other instruments in that
guitarists will usually hold every note in a measure so that the sound will resonant better, like
the pedal effect on the piano. Therefore, the left-finger will press the note(s) in advance and
hold as long as possible. There is a slight difference between the School of Tárrega and the
modern approach. Modern players will always use free stroke in the right hand, no matter
whether playing an ascending or descending arpeggio. The School of Tárrega, on the other
99
hand, will use a rest stroke on the highest note in a descending arpeggio, as long as the rest
stroke will not affect the resonance of the harmony.
Blocked chord playing is quite common in guitar music because it outlines the
harmony and often carries the main melody in the top, middle, or bottom part. Since
blocked chords contain many notes at the same time, the challenge is to minimize the left-
hand movement by using guide fingers and pivot fingers. When there is more than one
choice Tárrega will use the one that belongs to the main melody, so that the melody will be
better connected. There is one main difference regarding the use of the right hand: The
School of Tárrega will play a blocked chord relying more on the tip joints while the modern
player will typically play from the main knuckles.
Barré technique is unique and consistent practice is required for developing the
strength of the left hand. Both the School of Tárrega and modern players are reminded not
to over practice barré technique. The School of Tárrega designs the barré exercises
combined with other technical issues, such as the arpeggio and slur. Modern players advise
performers to find out how many strings really need to be held under the barré, which will
not waste energy.
The slur is another special skill demanding a well-developed technique, adequate
music knowledge and taste. Technically, it can increase the speed and solve unwanted
awkward string crossing for the right hand. Musically, it can communicate a performer’s
understanding of the phrase structure if suitably fingered. Harmonics, pizzicato, and tremolo
techniques are important for special sound effects. It is a pity that these special effects are
less prominent in Tárrega’s studies.
100
My study discusses Tárrega’s guitar studies in particular. After grouping these studies,
most of the technical issues are discussed. Through a comparison between the School of
Tárrega and the modern approach, guitar players can comprehend the advantages and
disadvantages from different points of view. Sometimes there is no right or wrong technique;
a mature guitarist will find the technique that is most suitable for him/her.
Tárrega is noted for being an educator, performer, transcriber, and composer. It is
without doubt that Tárrega’s studies are not only effective in improving one’s playing skills
but are also written with great musical taste, which only can be done by an outstanding
educator and composer. Although special sound effects are not the focus in his studies,
these special techniques are frequently used in Tárrega’s masterpieces and transcriptions.
Future study is necessary to see how Tárrega transcribed pieces from other instruments for
the guitar. This research will be very valuable in understanding Tárrega’s transcribing skills,
in particular his use of these special sound effects.
101
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Books
Bellow, Alexander. The Illustrated History of the Guitar. Rockville Centre, NY: F. Colombo
Publications, 1970.
Berg, Christopher. Mastering Guitar Technique: Process & Essence. Pacific, MO: Mel Bay
Publications, Inc., 1997.
Duncan, Charles. The Art of Classical Guitar Playing. Miami, FL: Summy-Birchard Inc., 1980.
Grunfeld, Frederic V. The Art and Times of the Guitar: An Illustrated History of Guitars and
Guitarists. New York: Da Capo Press, 1988.
Kozinn, Allan, P. Welding, D. Forte, and G. Santoro. The Guitar: the History, the Music, the
Players. New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1984.
Leibowita, Judith and B. Connington. The Alexander Technique. New York: Harper & Row,
Publishers, Inc., 1990.
Parkening, Christopher. The Christopher Parkening Guitar Method, Volume One. Milwaukee, WI:
Hal Leonard Corporation, 1997.
-------. The Christopher Parkening Guitar Method, Volume Two. Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard
Corporation, 1997.
Provost, Richard. Classic Guitar Technique–Volume One: Scale Source Book. Bloomfield, CT:
Professional Guitar Publications, 1983.
-------. Classic Guitar Technique–Volume Two: Arpeggio Source Book. Bloomfield, CT: Professional
Guitar Publications, 1985.
Pujol, Emilio. Guitar School–A Theoretical-Practical Method for the Guitar, Volume One. Columbus,
OH: Editions Orphée, Inc., 1983.
--------. Guitar School–A Theoretical-Practical Method for the Guitar, Volume Two. Columbus, OH:
Editions Orphée, Inc., 1983.
--------. Guitar School–A Theoretical-Practical Method for the Guitar, Volume Three. Columbus, OH:
Editions Orphée, Inc., 1983.
--------. “The Supported Stroke.” Guitar Review 16 (1954): 109-110.
Quine, Hector. Guitar Technique–Intermediate to Advanced. New York: Oxford University Press,
1990.
Rius, Adrián. Francisco Tárrega Biography. Valencia: Piles Editorial de Musica, 2006.
102
Roch, Pascual. A Modern Method for the Guitar–School of Tárrega, Volume One. New York, NY: G.
Schirmer, Inc., 1917.
--------. A Modern Method for the Guitar–School of Tárrega, Volume Two. New York, NY: G.
--------. A Modern Method for the Guitar–School of Tárrega, Volume Three. New York, NY: G.
Romanillos, José. Antonio de Torres Guitar Maker–His Life and Work. Great Britain: Element
Book Ltd., 1987.
Shearer, Aaron. Learning the Classic Guitar–Part 1. Pacific, MO: Mel Bay Publications, Inc.,
1990.
--------. Learning the Classic Guitar–Part 2. Pacific, MO: Mel Bay Publications, Inc., 1990.
--------. Learning the Classic Guitar–Part 3. Pacific, MO: Mel Bay Publications, Inc., 1990.
Tanebaum, David. The Essential Studies of Fernando Sor’s 20 Estudios. San Francisco, CA: Guitar
Solo publication, 1991.
Tennant, Scott. Pumping Nylon–The Classical Guitarist’s Technique Handbook. CA: Van Nuys,
Alfred Publishing Co., Inc., 1995.
Turnbull, Harvey. The Guitar from the Renaissance to the Present Day. Westport, CT: The Bold
Strummer LTD., 1974.
Tyler, James and Paul Sparks. The Guitar and Its Music. New York: Oxford University Press,
2002.
Wade, Graham. A Concise History of the Classic Guitar. Pacific, MO: Mel Bay Publications, 2001.
--------. Traditions of the Classic Guitar. London: John Calder Ltd., 1980.
Westbrook, James. The Century that Shaped the Guitar–From the Birth of the Six-String Guitar to the
Death of Tárrega. United Kingdom: Crisp Litho Limited, 2005.
Articles
Duncan, Charles. “The Segovia Sound–What is it?” Guitar Review 42 (1977): 25-31.
Heck, Thomas. “Tárrega, Francisco,” in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, edited
by Stanley Sadie, vol. 25. London: Macmillan Publishers, 2001.
Hofmesster, Theodorus. “Is There a School of Tárrega?” Guitar Review 1 (1946): 4-6.
Monosoff, Sonya. “Pizzicato,” in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, edited by
Stanley Sadie, vol. 19. London: Macmillan Publishers, 2001.
103
Ophee, Matanya. “The History of Apoyando.” Guitar Review 51 (1982): 7-13.
Scores
Tárrega, Francisco. Thirty Elementary Level Studies. Madrid: Soneto Ediciones Musicales, 1993.
--------. Twenty Five Advanced Intermediate Level Studies. Madrid: Soneto Ediciones Musicales,
1993.
104
APPENDIX
Tárrega’s Thirty Elementary Studies
No. 1 Scale playing:

focusing on the
alternation between
right-hand fingers
No. 2 Arpeggio playing:
No. 3 Blocked chords and

repeated notes
No. 4 Arpeggio playing in

combination with
repeated notes
No. 5 Blocked chords
No. 6 The thumb plays the

bass melody
No. 7 Chromatic scale
No. 8 Arpeggio playing with

barré chords
No. 9 The alternation

between the m-a
fingers
No. 10 Scale playing with
alternation between
right-hand fingers
105
No. 11 Scale playing
No. 12 Repeated bass notes

while focusing on
treble melodic part
No. 14 Blocked chords with

pivot and guide
fingers
No. 15 Guide fingers for

changing positions

arpeggio playing with
barré chords

arpeggio playing with
barré chords
No. 18 Scale playing with an

intensive use of the a
finger
No. 19 Slur playing
No. 20 Chromatic scale with

the a finger for string
crossing

guide finger for
changing positions
106
No. 23 Broken chords with

the a finger plays the
top melody
No. 24 i-m-a for the top triple

and the thumb plays
he bass notes
slur technique

the barré technique
No. 27 Broken chords with i-

m play simultaneously

focuses on p-i-m-i, a-i-
m-i, and p-i-p-m.

intensive guide
fingers
107
Tárrega’s Twenty-Five Advanced Studies
No. 1 Scale playing

arpeggio playing

slur technique

arpeggio playing

p-i-m-a-m-i arpeggio
No. 8 Slur playing in triplet
No. 9 Rapid three- note and

four-note blocked
chords
108
No. 10 Arpeggio playing
applies modified
sequential playing
No. 11 Repeated sixteenth-

notes in the middle
voice

slurs
No. 13 Three-part texture

with melody on the
top
No. 14 Melody on the top

with few harmonics
and pizzicato

slur technique

slur and barré
techniques
No. 17 Single melody with

blocked chords
No. 18 Pizzicato technique

with barré chords

arpeggio playing
109
melody in the bottom
and top part

intensive artificial
harmonics, pizzicato
and tremolo
techniques
No. 22 Three-part texture

with the melody in
the bass
No. 23 Triplet in arpeggios

with slur technique

slurs on the weak
beat
No. 25 Three-note slurs and

arpeggio playing
110

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AN ANALYTICAL AND COMPARATIVE STUDY OF FRANCISCO TÁRREGA’S

TWO VOLUMES OF GUITAR STUDIES: VOLUME ONE−THIRTY

ELEMENTARY LEVEL STUDIES AND VOLUME TWO−TWENTY-FIVE

INTERMEDIATE AND ADVANCED LEVEL STUDIES

SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS

FOR THE DEGREE

BALL STATE UNIVERSITY

All rights reserved

I would like to express my gratitude to my doctoral committee members: Professor Philip

exam and dissertation.

Because of you, I’m able to finish my doctoral degree. Thank you.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................................... iii

LIST OF FIGURES AND MUSICAL EXAMPLES.............................................................. vi

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................... 1

Statement of Purpose .................................................................................................................. 3

Significance of the Study............................................................................................................. 4

Review of the Literature ............................................................................................................ 9

CHAPTER TWO: BIOGRAPHICAL BACKGROUNDS OF FRANCISCO

CHAPTER THREE: THE PRINCIPLES OF THE SCHOOL OF TÁRREGA .......25

Sitting Position ...........................................................................................................................25

Right-Hand Position ..................................................................................................................27

Left-Hand Position ....................................................................................................................28

Right-Hand Finger Movements ...............................................................................................30

Left-Hand Finger Movements .................................................................................................31

Sound Quality .............................................................................................................................34

Instructions for Study and Performance ................................................................................36

CHAPTER FOUR: TÁRREGA’S THIRTY ELEMENTARY LEVEL STUDIES

Arpeggio Playing ........................................................................................................................52

Blocked Chord Playing..............................................................................................................60

Pizzicato, Harmonics, and Tremolo Techniques ..................................................................88

CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION.......................................................98

BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................................ 102

Figure 1: Open String Notation .......................................................................................................12

Figure 2: Fingerings of Both Hands ................................................................................................13

Figure 3: Free Stroke..........................................................................................................................13

Figure 4: Rest Stroke ..........................................................................................................................13

Figure 5: String Crossing Notation ..................................................................................................14

Figure 6: Tremolo Notation .............................................................................................................14

Figure 7: Harmonics Notation .........................................................................................................15

Figure 8: Barré Notation ...................................................................................................................15

Figure 9: Slur Notation ......................................................................................................................16

Figure 10: Pivot Finger Notation .....................................................................................................16

Figure 11: Guide Finger Notation ...................................................................................................17

Example 1: Substitution of the Left-Hand Fingers..........................................................................31

Example 2: Skip of the Left-Hand Fingers.....................................................................................32

Example 3: Glissando of the Left-Hand Fingers .............................................................................32

Example 4: Crossing Fingers of the Left Hand .............................................................................33

Example 6: “The Spider” Exercise for the Left-Hand Independence .......................................33

Example 7: Pujol Exercise–Hold Fingers .......................................................................................40

Example 8: Roch Exercise–Shifting ................................................................................................42

Example 9: Pujol Exercise–String Crossing ...................................................................................44

Example 10: Roch Exercise–String Crossing.................................................................................44

Example 13: Tárrega’s Elementary Studies, No. 13, mm.4-6 ......................................................45

Example 14: Tárrega’s Elementary Studies, No. 1, mm. 1-2 .......................................................46

Example 15: Tárrega’s Elementary Studies, No. 7, mm.1-2 ........................................................46

Example 16: Tárrega’s Elementary Studies, No. 18, mm.3-11 ....................................................47

Example 18: Tárrega’s Advanced Studies, No. 1, mm.1-15.........................................................50

Example 19: Pujol Exercise–Hold More Notes at Once .............................................................52

Example 20: An E-Major Arpeggio on the Guitar........................................................................53

Example 21: Pujol Exercise–Rest Stroke on the highest Note E ...............................................54

Example 22: Tárrega’s Elementary Studies, No. 2, mm.1-3 ........................................................55

Example 23: Tárrega’s Elementary Studies, No. 4, mm.1-3 ........................................................56